3. The removal of “Lady Vols”
The most controversial subject this year for Vol fans and all UT athletics came out of nowhere early in the year when athletic director Dave Hart announced his plan to abolish the Lady Vols moniker from all women’s athletics except for the basketball team. His decision was met with mixed reviews, but the critics came out far louder than those who supported his decision.
Allegedly, Hart’s decision came after Nike, Tennessee’s new apparel designer as of this year, suggested a rebranding for all UT athletics to fit under one symbol and one design. These allegations were refuted by Nike, however, which only gave more ammunition to those opposing Hart.
If Hart had chosen to remove the title from all women’s teams, the decision would likely have been accepted more easily. But his choice to make an exception for the basketball program drew additional scrutiny, and what could have been a relatively easy fire to put out turned into an inferno and is still debated here at the end of the year.
