Become More Relatable
For athletic director Dave Hart, relating to the common man seems to be no easy feat at times. Hart has often been criticized for not being able to relate to fans and alienating large portions of them, and those criticisms have come with good reason.
Just look at 2015 for example. Hart was the target for scrutiny after removing the title of Lady Vols from every women’s athletic team except for the basketball program earlier this year, and his refusal to have discussions about it only strengthened the vitriol thrown his way. Then there was the aforementioned debacle with Tennessee’s basketball program which earned him national criticism as well as local.
Our resolution for Hart is simple: learn how to make yourself more likable to the common fan.
Most of the PR around Tennessee’s athletic department in Hart’s tenure hasn’t been great, and that needs to change. Hart isn’t really some evil dictator pulling strings behind key figures in Vols athletics, but some fans perceive him that way because of how he’s acted in public and behind the scenes.
If Hart can work on his image and repair some of the damage done to the athletic department’s PR, then he can get back in the good graces of some of the fans.
