My initial impression of Tennessee as a school and fanbase was comically wrong

There's been a lot of talk about the UT/Bama rivalry being "properly renewed this week", and some LSU fans profess to be surprised at the intensity of this rivalry. I actually knew about the UT/Bama rivalry from my old job. I had two coworkers who lived in "Birmingum" (as they called it - I fricking HATE that southern accent that has them good ole baws pronounce "Birmingham" as "Birmingum" - like nails on a chalkboard to me) and both were Vols fans and HATED Bama with a passion. Like way more than I as an LSU alum hated Bama.

Anyways, the reason it stuck out to me is that for some reason (maybe b/c of Peyton Manning who I always viewed as a bit provincial coming from the Garden District and Newman and NOLA society) actually CHOSE to go to Tennessee, so in my head as a 15 year-old (at the time) I assumed this meant that they were this aristocratic, Vandy-lite kind of school that just happened to be solid at football at well. And in a certain light, their colors and stadium and band and uniforms seemed like they were a bit upper class.

Now in hindsight I obviously know what dumb, yellow-toothed, spit cup-holding rednecks the majority of their fanbase are and it all seems ridiculous. With the advent of camouflage NCAA merchandise that awful orange is rendered as the redneck/tacky shade of abortion that is actually is. I remain amazed to this day that I once viewed the University of Tennessee fans and program as anything but utter Appalachian (or I suppose it's the Smokies?) poors. I can't believe that Lane Kiffin's wife survived in "Knoxvul" (as the indigenous call it) for 6 entire months.



All that's missing is a dip cup, trashy goatee, and camouflage UT cap. Oh wait, he has a trashy goatee. And the dip cup is probably down by his awful Justin boots.