Since arriving to Tennessee, Director of Athletics Danny White hasn’t been afraid of using social media as a tool to connect and speak with the Vols’ fanbase.
On Wednesday evening, a user on X by the name of Colten Johns sent a tweet to White saying, “we’ll pay a 25% increase on ticket prices if you add a third deck! 120K plus would be a dream come true,” along with an orange and red heart emoji.
Less than an hour after Johns’ tweet, White responded on X, “On it!”
White’s tweet drew a good amount of replies online as some fans honed in on the “pay a 25% increase” aspect of Johns’ tweet and White’s enthusiastic reply.
On Thursday afternoon, though, White clarified his tweet to the Tennessee fanbase with more explanation and a peek into the creative process that is happening within the upper offices on Rocky Top.
“Should have been more specific, my apologies – I was responding to the idea of increasing capacity, not the 25% increase,” White posted to X. “We are exploring all options to add capacity to Neyland Stadium for the most passionate fanbase in the country. Not sure if it’s feasible at this point, but we’ll leave no stone unturned in pursuit of solutions. In the meantime, all interested should get on the wait-list. That’s the best way for us to measure demand.”
Should have been more specific, my apologies – I was responding to the idea of increasing capacity, not the 25% increase. We are exploring all options to add capacity to Neyland Stadium for the most passionate fanbase in the country. Not sure if it’s feasible at this point, but… https://t.co/Dt9UcsFfub
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) September 19, 2024
More from RTI: Where Tennessee Football Has A Massive Advantage Against Oklahoma
Tennessee’s latest ticketing increase has caused controversy with fans and national media members alike, but there’s something to say about the transparency that Tennessee’s decision-makers are giving with these decisions.
You can be for or against the new policies but it’s hard to have an informed opinion without the transparency being there first.
Most of the comments to White’s clarification tweet on Thursday afternoon have been in good spirits, with much of them just having fun with the idea of a stadium reaching up to the clouds.
“Neyland still has air space,” one user replied. “Can we sell out Big Orange Blimp seats?!?”
Still, though, there is a bit of contention within the fanbase after Tennessee’s latest announcement.
On Tuesday morning in an e-mail sent to season ticket holders, Tennessee announced an average increase of 14.5% to ticket prices ahead of the 2025 season with 10% being a “talent fee” as the athletics department continues to find new revenue streams to keep bringing talent to Knoxville in the new era of college football.
Hence, the original tweet about upping the increase to 25% in exchange for more seating options.
The reception online has been quite the mixed bag with some fans less combative of the volatile nature of college athletics revenue in the NIL era and others furious about being charged to help pay for players. Really, though, it’s not up to any writer or TV figure to decide what’s best for the fans and their money.
But even saying that, the reality is that college athletics are a bit of a copycat league in the upper tiers. While ESPN’s Chris Low did write on Tuesday that this is “believed to be the first arrangement of its kind,” it feels likely that other programs around the country will start looking into the same model that Tennessee revealed this week.
It doesn’t sound likely that Tennessee is adding seats to Neyland Stadium in the near future, but there’s no doubt that U.T.’s athletic department is continuing to push the boundaries of college athletics in multiple areas.
Here’s a look at the interactions on X:
Wednesday Evening:
On it! https://t.co/6QWRA6yk35
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) September 18, 2024
Thursday Afternoon:
Should have been more specific, my apologies – I was responding to the idea of increasing capacity, not the 25% increase. We are exploring all options to add capacity to Neyland Stadium for the most passionate fanbase in the country. Not sure if it’s feasible at this point, but… https://t.co/Dt9UcsFfub
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) September 19, 2024
Tennessee is preparing for a huge top 15 clash in their SEC opener on the road this week.
No. 15 Oklahoma will host No. 6 Tennessee in Saturday night’s main event matchup at 7:30 p.m. ET as former National Championship-winning quarterback Josh Heupel returns to Norman as the head coach of the explosive Volunteers.
Stay locked into Rocky Top Insider for live, on-site coverage of Tennessee’s clash with Oklahoma on Saturday night.
