What would our fan base do?

[ManningBerry#1]

"In 1896, Auburn students greased railroad tracks in anticipation of the Georgia Tech football team's arrival from Atlanta. The prank worked, as Tech's train slid an extra five miles down the track. The Yellow Jackets had to walk about five miles to the stadium, where they were walloped 45-0."

:lolabove:

That's pretty damn funny

 

[ManningBerry#1]

Let me make a few comments before directly answering your question.

In this day and age, what passes for pranks are no longer harmless. By harmless, I mean in the past the bulk of pranks didn’t cause irreversible physical harm to people or property. By harm, I mean the prank didn’t inflict real or potential medical trauma on a person. Or permanent physical damage to property. Were there exceptions back in the day? I’m certain there were, but as I said, the bulk of pranks were basically harmless.

Today, there is a dedicated mission among pranksters to be either or both gross and destructive.
We’re seeing kids pushing elderly wheelchair bound people down escalators. {Youtube removed the video due to law about I.D.ing juveniles in court cases}. Food handlers standing in your food. Slobbering on your bread. Slashing your tires. Pissing in the office’s coffee. Starting fires on public land (or anywhere).

My point is, what passes for pranks today, have repercussions that are a danger to the life and limb of others. I personally, think that three things are at play. One, is Dr. Benjamin Spock's grossly misguided influential, books on children rearing. Two, the bullying behavior by so-called social workers toward parents. Now, I admit some parents, maybe too many were/are abusive as opposed to merely disciplining. So some kids do need protection. But social workers have far too much leeway. Three, modern media of TV, movies, and video games encourage gross and destructive behavior. Kids are bombed daily with such media that literally celebrate such conduct.

Now, to answer your question. I believe if someone is dumb enough to damage the rock or Torch Bearer at the UT, they are beyond dumb. I honestly believe we have people who if they found out who did it, are not adverse to grabbing a shotgun and blowing the idiot to Hell because he sure wouldn’t be Heaven bound. There’s a reason Lane Kiffin sneaked out of Knoxville the way he did. I can't say I'd have much sympathy for the vandal in this case.

Well said wood!

 

[bigeasy]

What would somebody do? Poison the rock? Steal it even though it is 80 tons? Or god-forbid paint on it

 

[peyton4heisman]

Many buckets of lightbulbs would be kicked

 

[UTProf]

The Rock and Torchbearer are associated with the University not the football program. The Rock, in particular, is for students to express their views but it's not sports related despite occasional usage for sports based messages -- all kinds of messages appear there.

The Torchbearer is symbolic of UT as an institution of higher learning and we celebrate those who achieve academically, have proven themselves leaders, and have done special things the university wishes to acknowledge as torchbearers whether they're students, student athletes, or faculty. It's an institutional award that has nothing to do with sports.

Kidnapping Smokey, on the other hand, would be a prank on UT sports. And Smokey has been kidnapped before. (Smokey II was kidnapped by UK students and returned safely).

 

[thebjd]

Our rock is not really significant. The sign can be bought from the guy that was pimping them on here. The rock at Clemson matters and is nationally recognized as symbolic of their program.