Some people might say being a Vols fan is a set up for a very depressing fall. They might say we are cursed with a gray cloud of "Murphy's Law" or that we are "rebuilding." In fact, we are "rebuilding," but being a fan in recent years hasn't been fun in the least. It's been difficult. Extremely difficult. Yet here we are. All still fans of the "orange and white." That's because there is something special about being a Vol. All the ups and downs teach us something, they make us better people; it teaches life skills.
Football isn't lifeWhen you experience gut-wrenching losses where the Vols come so close but always find a way to lose, it has a toll on your mental health. You know what I mean: Pig Howard fumbles in OT last year against Georgia. Vols let Vandy score on a late drive last year to win. We lose to Florida by one point this year.
These types of things ruin days. After the Florida game this year, I had to go on a 30-minute drive to blow off steam. But it's times like these we remember that football isn't everything. One of the best characteristics of the sport is that you get to the next game or next season and its another chance to redeem ourselves.
Society often puts football on this high horse, making it feel like the end all be all if your team doesn't win the national championship. Well as heartbreaking as it may be, we will wake up and put our pants on the same way tomorrow even if we lose. It's only a sport, as cliché as that may be, but there is more to life than football.
The Community of Fans
On the night of Oct. 4, I saw 102,455 fans coming together for a remarkable feat. They "checker-boarded" Neyland Stadium. The more remarkable thing is that we were coming off of two rough losses to Oklahoma and Georgia. But the sight was incredible to see. I observed something interesting.
VolNation acts like we should with our best friends. We have each other's back. We don't let each other get smack talked to by Alabama fans. Period.
We sympathize with each other. Its the guy on the elevator that you say, "Heck of a game. We'll get Bama next week. Butch Jones is doing something special there," too.
We'll be there for each other. No matter how bad it gets, the stadium will still be packed. That's why we went 5-7 in 2013 and had the biggest spring game of 2014 (70,000) in all of college football. We're die-hards.
Vol fans have the tendency to inhabit the whole United States. When you see one in a random place it's like seeing a long lost best friend. As long as there is an orange shirt around, there will be someone to get excited with or cry with. Your choice.
Relationships
Relationships can be tricky, just like being a Vol fan can be tricky. We get our hopes up about a game just like we can get our hopes up about a date. We set expectations too high. When they come crashing down and we lose to someone like Florida, we can't just turn our backs and cheat on UT with Alabama. It doesn't work that way. We have to remember that if we are loyal to the Vols, they will feed off that and start playing better.
We are pretty much the best boyfriend ever. We stick around no matter what. We get promised a bunch of things and then don't let it offend us too much. We are patient, unless we see something seriously wrong.
If you have ever sat waiting for someone to like you back, this is the perfect example. The Vols send us signals and play with our hearts all the time but if we have are patient, the time will come when everyone's happy. When they decide to like us back, it will be so much sweeter. Then maybe we can put a ring on it: a National Championship ring. Or destroying Florida and Bama would be fine, too.
If patience is a weak point for you in relationships, be a Volunteer fan. Truly, no better way to hone that skill.
As hard as it can be to love the Vols, we still do, because it makes us stronger. It's what separates the men from the boys. Tennessee from Alabama rather.
