Reactions to Vols Living Outside Vol Country

#101
#101
I'm living in Saint Louis, which is new SEC territory. They just seem happy to be in the SEC, and they are very nice and kind for the most part.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#102
#102
Since my UT days, I've lived in or visited more than 40 countries. I bump into UT fans all the time. I'm currently in Budapest, Hungary and I know at least two families who brought their cars over with Tennessee license plates. Where I go to church here, there are an assortment of SEC fans (UGA, Bama, TA&M, etc.). Occasionally a Vol from some remote land will visit and we'll talk FB and CBJ. It really is special to have this orange connection around the world!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#103
#103
ib4ut1 said:
Wife and I were in Israel last week of March/first week of April last year. One day in Jerusalem, we encountered about 75 or so Israeli soldiers. They were in a group but apparently resting near the old city. I was wearing a white cap with an orange power T on the front. Suddenly, I heard, "GO VOLS!" followed by another guy yelling, "TENNESSEE." I went over to them and discovered that they were American Jews who had volunteered to serve a couple of years in the Israeli army. Never thought I would meet any TN fans who were in Israeli army, but it was a pretty cool experience.
Click to expand...

I stopped right here reading through to comment.

We are known as the volunteer state for a reason. I don't care if these gentlemen are native Tennesseans or not, the fact that they are Tennessee fans serving in their ancestors' military to protect the home of their forefathers makes them VFL in my book and happy to see them showing why we are the volunteer state.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 people
#104
#104
Wear a UT shirt in Gatlinburg the weekend of the Alabama game and you will feel like a cast out in your own state. Hopefully Butch will change that soon!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#106
#106
Here in Oregon I don't get much of a reaction at all. When I do, it's usually "east coast bias, overrated, blah blah". Most of the college football "fans" here in Portland couldn't name one offensive lineman from their own team.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#107
#107
I've lived all over the place, so I'll give my summary for each place I've lived and sported the Power T in:

Tennessee: self-explanatory. Vol country.

South Carolina: lived in the Greenville area for a few years. Nothing negative about us there, but then again, this was before the Chick-fil-A Bowl embarrassment. Haven't been back since.

Mississippi: poor Mississippians. Some of the nicest people you'll ever meet, but they're so brainwashed by the Rebels and Bulldogs that it's sad. With that said, since we're in different divisions, they're pretty indifferent on us.

Michigan: my favorite place to sport the Power T in (or any SEC gear in general). Nothing is funnier than watching these Northerners gripe about how the SEC is the most overrated conference, how the Big Ten will come back, etc. They usually took potshots at me by saying, "Your team sucks, though. They contribute nothing to the SEC." (living here from 2008-2011 seasons was a bad time to be a Vol fan). Nonetheless, I exposed the Vols to several friends and even took two to a game in Knoxville. My one friend had never even been to the Smoky Mountains, so not only was he blown away by our gameday and our women, he was impressed with the Southern hospitality, food, and beautiful scenery on the drive down. He's now in love with the South.

Texas: casual observers (read as: Texas t-shirt fans) assume that it's Texas stuff. It's pretty annoying. However, true educated Texas fans know it's the Vols, and they actually understand and accept the history between our two states and have nothing but respect for our football program. Sadly, these types are the minority here.
 
#108
#108
Here in Texas and everywhere we travel, I fet frequent "Go Vols" "go Big Orange" :)

Of course I also get confused looks from the cow followers...not one of the intelligent breeds associated with college sports :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#109
#109
Bms4880 said:
I have noticed a phenomenon among many friends and relatives who grew up in East Tennessee, but moved elsewhere as adults: they became much stronger Vol fans living in hostile territory. While they may have followed the team and watched the games while in East Tenn., they weren't "radicalized" until they moved away. Suddenly, they're wearing Vol attire more frequently, getting their kids' pictures taken wearing Vol attire, talk more about the team and display a much greater knowledge of the team when in town, etc.
Click to expand...

Yes, this happened to me. Took it for granted a bit when I lived back home then went out west to scout it for moving out there and felt so much more orange-blooded after that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#110
#110
orangebloodgmc said:
Yes, this happened to me. Took it for granted a bit when I lived back home then went out west to scout it for moving out there and felt so much more orange-blooded after that.
Click to expand...

The same happened with me moving from Mississippi (SEC territory) to Michigan (Little 10 country). I don't know why it happens, but it does. I think it's that special connection to back where home really is, so you have to make sure everyone around you knows about your Vol fandom.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#111
#111
VolNExile said:
Not a glance in the Bay Area, other than from a couple of other Vols I've bumped into. I've actually gotten thumbs up from other displaced SEC-ers (Arkansas and Bama, believe it or not.) College sports aren't as big a deal around here.

I suppose that since people don't even glance (more than once, anyway) if you're wearing nothing but feathers and a tutu, radioactive orange attire won't produce a twitch on the Richter personal appearance scale. I saw a patient in his fifties a while back in full Star Trek uniform; engineering colors I think.

--the car flags do produce some bafflement, though. I don't think I've ever seen a car flag around here, even during Giants pennant runs.
Click to expand...

Engineering colors from TOS or from the Next Gen/DS9/Voyager series? :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#112
#112
volboy81 said:
I was in Egypt in the late 90s. I went to a T-shirt shop in Cairo and got a Tennessee orange shirt & had them embroider "Go Vols" in Arabic on the front. I wore it all over town. I would meet locals and they would say (in an Egyptian accent) " Go Vols....what is Go Vols?" At least I knew the guy had put what I wanted on the shirt!
Click to expand...

Do you still have that shirt? It would be awesome if you could post a pic.
 
#113
#113
butchna said:
Volnation is a big presence in Texas...especially DFW...put a Vols sticker on your vehicle and you're going to get honks from other motorists and if you go into the store with UT gear be prepared to have a conversation with another transplant...18 years going strong...WE ARE LEGION
Posted via VolNation Mobile
Click to expand...

I don't disagree ... but I went over there one weekend to see my daughter, and watched our FLA game (the year a young E Berry pick-6'd Tebow) in a Dallas bar with other UT alumni ... and I was the only one yelling at the TV. What is wrong with them people? :question::loco:
 
#114
#114
In the late 1980s I wore an orange "How 'Bout Them Vols!" T-shirt to an evening review session for my students here at Oklahoma State. Afterwards one of the male students came up to me and said, "What are Voles?"

I occasionally wore the same T-shirt during a brief stay at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Needless to say, I had to explain what it meant to my French molecular biologist colleague. I am fairly certain that not only had she never heard of UT, she had no idea that the sport of American football existed.
 
#116
#116
orangebloodgmc said:
I don't disagree ... but I went over there one weekend to see my daughter, and watched our FLA game (the year a young E Berry pick-6'd Tebow) in a Dallas bar with other UT alumni ... and I was the only one yelling at the TV. What is wrong with them people? :question::loco:
Click to expand...


Was the bar in Frisco?Â…Â…that's where the rowdy bunch I used to watch with in Lewisville congregate from what I hear...that championship season got us kicked out of Joe Avezzano' s fine establishment...No sitting on hands with that bunch!:clapping::crazy::clapping::rock::rock::
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
#117
#117
albedo33 said:
In the late 1980s I wore an orange "How 'Bout Them Vols!" T-shirt to an evening review session for my students here at Oklahoma State. Afterwards one of the male students came up to me and said, "What are Voles?"

I occasionally wore the same T-shirt during a brief stay at the Institut Pasteur in Paris. Needless to say, I had to explain what it meant to my French molecular biologist colleague. I am fairly certain that not only had she never heard of UT, she had no idea that the sport of American football existed.
Click to expand...

When I was in Europe I didn't wear any Vol gear but when people asked me where I was from and I said Tennessee, the response was usually 'oh... Jack Daniels!' So we are recognized for at least one thing in most places.
 
#118
#118
UTProf said:
When I was in Europe I didn't wear any Vol gear but when people asked me where I was from and I said Tennessee, the response was usually 'oh... Jack Daniels!' So we are recognized for at least one thing in most places.
Click to expand...

Germany LOVES Jack Daniels.....And David Hasselhoff:p:dance::p
 
#122
#122
Most people in Mississippi could care less. There are a good bit of Vol fans around here also. I've even seen Rexvol before. I could tell it was him because of his license plate on his car.
 
#123
#123
CharlieGarner#30 said:
I'm in Orlando, and aside from the occasional "Longhorn fan?" question I get at the grocery store, I find the majority of Gator, Seminole and Canes fans to be genuinely respectful, like talking about one of the great games they remember from the past, and proceed to tell me how much they loved visiting Tennessee the last time they went. Like a previous poster said, a classy fan even from a most despised rival has a tremendous amount of respect for our program.
Click to expand...

Same here. Couple of azzhole gator fans I met at a Bubbalous but mostly ok lately. We need to beat them again to change the mood.
 
#124
#124
I moved to western Arkansas (on the Oklahoma line) in 1975. Its hard to explain to those who weren't around then, but Arkansas was in the Southwest Conference and Oklahoma was in the Big Eight. The television coverage of college football was barely out of the stone age (one or two games on the weekend, half Big Ten or Notre Dame) and the news coverage wasn't much better. Seeing the vols live on the air was about as common as a solar eclipse. In other words, you'd have to move to New Zealand today to get the same effect. Whenever I donned my vol cap, it excited violent passion, not because of rivalry, but because people remembered how they shelled out for a new Cadillac for Bowden Wyatt to show their appreciation and he promptly drove it to Knoxville. The other thing was the 1971 Liberty Bowl against the vols where they felt they got hosed.
 
#125
#125
Most people in Houston r Aggie n Lsu fans so get a little cocky but not bad. I do wear vols or tn because Mexicans think its Texas orange but most college football fans know the difference.

I have had a few Fu thrown my way from bama fans in Houston...lol

Btw Houston n San Antonio are really Mexico... omg my son has blond hair n they look at him like a freak of nature.....lol

Yes I miss tn.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top