Tennessee Vol fans have strong reactions on social media to Danny White’s explanation of ticket price increase
Many UT fans weren’t having it
The Tennessee Volunteers are making moves on the field and off lately. The athletic department is top tier nationally, competitive in all three primary men’s sports (football, basketball, baseball), softball, women’s basketball, tennis, and several others.
And it’s not just the performance on the field that’s improved under Athletic Director Danny White. Fundraising has increased, facilities have improved, and new sponsorship deals have come in to raise revenue for the university to compete at the highest level in the new NIL level of college sports.
However, that’s also come at a price, with the cost of attending Tennessee events also increasing. And as White addressed on Monday, it’s going up again – a 4% increase that was announced to the fans. White explained on Twitter/X that he wanted to “proactively communicate” with the fanbase.
However, that message was met with a number of harsh responses from some of the Volunteer faithful.
Those are understandable and fair reactions, especially for those who attend the games or want to. There are two sides to the coin from fandom for many people: their team winning and being able to attend the events personally. It’s not hard to see the frustration of being priced out of that after going for years or decades.
However, there are those who don’t attend and watch from afar, which is a huge swath of the fanbase. Winning is what matters far more to them, and increased revenue for the university – from sponsorships, ticket sales, and every other avenue – means an increased chance of that happening.
And there were still plenty of fans who supported White with the increase in the name of winning.
The debate isn’t likely to end anytime soon, as prices tend to only go one direction when it comes to things like entertainment expenses. And as long as the cost of winning is pointing up in collegiate athletics, the cost for the fans likely is going to be pulled in the same direction as well.
