Off-Topic — Tennessee may suck at football, but they got this right

[revkev73]

No offense, but so what?? So what if Tennessee made a couple hundred grand. Tennessee makes MILLIONS every single Saturday there’s a game there. They make MILLIONS on shirts sold over the course of a season. What are they supposed to do? They could have done nothing. They don’t have to do anything. Then the kid still gets bullied. The kid doesn’t get a full ride to Tennessee. I’m a capitalist. If Tennessee can make some money AND make a little kid feel great, more power to them. I just don’t understand why the University can’t get paid as well.

Colleges make hundreds of millions of dollars a year off of unpaid (and often hurt) 18-20 year old kids. This is a drop in the bucket.

Have to be creative to keep the AD (and staff) and HCs (and staff) on the dole.

 

[Xerxes]

UT has a massive fan base. With the publicity that this story is getting someone was certainly going to copyright the design and start selling it. UT just got out in front of it. Its just too bad the kid and his family didn't copyright it first.

 

[thetrza]

I thought the story was a tragedy about a kid whose parents raised him to be a Tennessee fan. I saw the video on ESPN and it showed this giant swag bag and its all UT gear and even like pictures of the guy they hired as coach after that crazy search and I thought how could they even give away that stuff.

 

[Denverhawk1]

Colleges make hundreds of millions of dollars a year off of unpaid (and often hurt) 18-20 year old kids. This is a drop in the bucket.

Have to be creative to keep the AD (and staff) and HCs (and staff) on the dole.

My point exactly. Why are we even worried about $200k?
But... if the kid gets a full ride, it’s basically the same as what a ball player gets. They’re hurt, used, spit up and chopped out. The university gets theirs too. I still just don’t see a problem here. This is a feel good story.

Like, never mind the kid didn’t have enough money to get a Walmart t shirt with a UT logo on it and now is getting a free ride scholarship. He should also get more money, when really UT didn’t owe him anything at all. It’s like, gee thanks for the scholarship for taking pity on me, but now I want a portion of the proceeds because it became a big hit.

The school and the fan base literally changed his direction in life, and if he applies himself possibly future generations in his family’s life and somehow it’s not enough?! All because they felt sorry for him, and to your point, probably saw a public relations win and maybe some money to be made. So what? Why can’t the school win in this too? If the design didn’t take off and it was in the discount bin at the college bookstore, the school is the one who made the risk. Shouldn’t they get the reward?

I just don’t get it.

 

[Ree4]

Kid in Florida didn't have a Tennessee shirt, but he was a fan. Makes his own shirt, gets bullied. Tennessee finds out, gets him swag, takes his design, makes it official logo and now is selling it. That’s winning.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...ogo-then-ut-made-his-drawing-into-real-shirt/

Boy, I can't stand social media most of the time but if it keeps producing amazing stories like this - it's totally worth the toxicity and vitriol that comes from anonymity.

 

[chucktownhawk]

 

[Fryowa]

Thank you for contributing with such insight. It is great to have such a wise and all-knowing person on this board.

You’re new here, huh?