Dear Tennessee Football,
We need to talk.
I married into you. On our wedding day, I vowed to love, cherish, and cheer for his football team. (He assured me y’all were amazing. The best in the SEC, he said.)
It was harder to embrace the orange color. Listen, it’s just not a good color on most people… especially me. But I wear it. It makes him happy, and that makes me happy! A nice blue or even red might look better on more skin tones, but I’m assuming that’s never going to happen. So I’ll keep buying orange.
We lived in Knoxville when we got married, and I could even handle the traffic on game days. Of course it was a little overwhelming at first (especially all the orange flags and even orange cars… I mean, that’s dedication to paint your car checkerboard orange and white), but the excitement outweighed the hassle!
We have been to quite a few games. I have to admit… those games are a blast!! VOL nation is amazing! (I was confused how so many people were totally drunk at the games since for forever you didn’t sell alcohol there… 
)
I have learned the words to Rocky Top, as any good fan should. I don’t know what kind of girl y’all have on rocky top… I’ve not seen the half bear/ half cat lady. But the verse… I can totally get into that!
I’ve made sure my kids wear orange (and we have 6 kids. That’s a lot of $ spent on your color!), they sing Rocky Top every time we pass the TN state line, they truly believe Alabama is a cuss word, and they beg to go to games. I’ve brought them up like I should.
What I’m trying to say is that I feel like I’ve done my part in becoming a fan. I’ve kept my promise.
I can honestly say that I’m not the problem, you are.
And I need it to change.
There have been too many years that my Saturdays during football season have been hard.
First it was just my husband who was upset with you. Now it’s him and 5/6 of our children. (Not our daughter… she suffers with me!)
Every week you get their hopes up.
Most weeks you let them down!
I know you think you’re the ones who have lost.
The thing is, you don’t have to deal with it. You’re not here.
You’re not having to listen to the list of things that you should have done differently.
You’re not having to hear the yelling at the tv.
You’re not having the total shut-down after the game… with the mourning of the loss.
You’re not hearing the stats and stats and stats and stats that I have to listen to and act like I care about.
So… I’m going to need a change. I can’t wait anymore. It has to happen. This is the last week we can deal with this.
I’ve done my part. Please… do yours.
I need you to win more. Period.
(Don’t tell me why you haven’t, how good you used to be, what you’re going to do differently, that you need another year to rebuild the program, or blame an old coach. I don’t care. Just win. However.)
Thank you. I expect this will be taken care of by next week with a surprise win. I believe in you (or at least I tell myself that!)
A tired married-into-it-VOL-for-life-fan,
Kristin
Dear Tennessee Football,
We need to talk.
I married into you. On our wedding day, I vowed to love, cherish, and cheer for his football team. (He assured me y’all were amazing. The best in the SEC, he said.)
It was harder to embrace the orange color. Listen, it’s just not a good color on most people… especially me. But I wear it. It makes him happy, and that makes me happy! A nice blue or even red might look better on more skin tones, but I’m assuming that’s never going to happen. So I’ll keep buying orange.
We lived in Knoxville when we got married, and I could even handle the traffic on game days. Of course it was a little overwhelming at first (especially all the orange flags and even orange cars… I mean, that’s dedication to paint your car checkerboard orange and white), but the excitement outweighed the hassle!
We have been to quite a few games. I have to admit… those games are a blast!! VOL nation is amazing! (I was confused how so many people were totally drunk at the games since for forever you didn’t sell alcohol there… )
I have learned the words to Rocky Top, as any good fan should. I don’t know what kind of girl y’all have on rocky top… I’ve not seen the half bear/ half cat lady. But the verse… I can totally get into that!
I’ve made sure my kids wear orange (and we have 6 kids. That’s a lot of $ spent on your color!), they sing Rocky Top every time we pass the TN state line, they truly believe Alabama is a cuss word, and they beg to go to games. I’ve brought them up like I should.
What I’m trying to say is that I feel like I’ve done my part in becoming a fan. I’ve kept my promise.
I can honestly say that I’m not the problem, you are.
And I need it to change.
There have been too many years that my Saturdays during football season have been hard.
First it was just my husband who was upset with you. Now it’s him and 5/6 of our children. (Not our daughter… she suffers with me!)
Every week you get their hopes up.
Most weeks you let them down!
I know you think you’re the ones who have lost.
The thing is, you don’t have to deal with it. You’re not here.
You’re not having to listen to the list of things that you should have done differently.
You’re not having to hear the yelling at the tv.
You’re not having the total shut-down after the game… with the mourning of the loss.
You’re not hearing the stats and stats and stats and stats that I have to listen to and act like I care about.
So… I’m going to need a change. I can’t wait anymore. It has to happen. This is the last week we can deal with this.
I’ve done my part. Please… do yours.
I need you to win more. Period.
(Don’t tell me why you haven’t, how good you used to be, what you’re going to do differently, that you need another year to rebuild the program, or blame an old coach. I don’t care. Just win. However.)
Thank you. I expect this will be taken care of by next week with a surprise win. I believe in you (or at least I tell myself that!)
A tired married-into-it-VOL-for-life-fan,
Kristin
