Vol fans - I know there's been interest on here about what A&M and their fans are like and just thought I'd chime in.
When I arrived on the campus, I thought I'd entered another dimension of reality. No dirty looks, no snide remarks about "how ugly Orange is", or any of the other comments I'm used to hearing on the road. Instead, fans will stop and say "howdy" and they'll ask you if you they can help you find the stadium or wherever it is where you're going.
When I entered the stadium, 2 A&M folks approached me to introduce themselves. They asked me where I was from and chatted with me for awhile. They both mentioned that they wanted me to have a great experience at A&M, and 1 even pointed me to where all the good concession were.
When we found our seats, the gentleman to my left, an A&M season ticket holder, introduced himself to me and said how "awesome" it was that "all these UT fans have come all this way." I told him I couldn't believe how nice all the A&M fans are. He responded that they have "0 tolerance" for rude behavior towards opposing fans, and in fact, if an A&M fan were to get in some opposing fan's face, there would be a "dozen A&M fans to restrain him and bring him back to his senses." He said it's extremely important to A&M fans that their guests are treated properly.
At some point in the 2nd half, they did their "sawing, swaying" thing that I've heard about. The A&M fans were insistent that I take part in this little ritual and so of course I did. Apparently this went a long way because several A&M fans approached me and thanked me for taking part. I'm a big believer of the saying "when in Rome", it also doesn't hurt my team and help theirs by making a little effort and reciprocating their generosity.
After the game, several A&M fans approached me and shook hands and remarked how impressed with Tennessee they were. One guy said this "you guys outplayed us, had you not turned the ball over so many times, ya'll would've one." Another said this "you guys are the definition of 'never quit' and you've got to be really proud of them."
Walking to my car, not 1 negative thing was said to me. A couple more "ya'll played great" and folks were saying "excuse me" as we shared a common walkway.
What I found out about A&M is that hospitality and good manners is very, very important to their culture. Yes, they like big hits and winning just like us, but they legitimately care about how their fans represent their school.
It was an amazing experience really. I hope that our fans will show opposing fans the same amount of respect - it goes a long way and it's the right thing to do.
When I arrived on the campus, I thought I'd entered another dimension of reality. No dirty looks, no snide remarks about "how ugly Orange is", or any of the other comments I'm used to hearing on the road. Instead, fans will stop and say "howdy" and they'll ask you if you they can help you find the stadium or wherever it is where you're going.
When I entered the stadium, 2 A&M folks approached me to introduce themselves. They asked me where I was from and chatted with me for awhile. They both mentioned that they wanted me to have a great experience at A&M, and 1 even pointed me to where all the good concession were.
When we found our seats, the gentleman to my left, an A&M season ticket holder, introduced himself to me and said how "awesome" it was that "all these UT fans have come all this way." I told him I couldn't believe how nice all the A&M fans are. He responded that they have "0 tolerance" for rude behavior towards opposing fans, and in fact, if an A&M fan were to get in some opposing fan's face, there would be a "dozen A&M fans to restrain him and bring him back to his senses." He said it's extremely important to A&M fans that their guests are treated properly.
At some point in the 2nd half, they did their "sawing, swaying" thing that I've heard about. The A&M fans were insistent that I take part in this little ritual and so of course I did. Apparently this went a long way because several A&M fans approached me and thanked me for taking part. I'm a big believer of the saying "when in Rome", it also doesn't hurt my team and help theirs by making a little effort and reciprocating their generosity.
After the game, several A&M fans approached me and shook hands and remarked how impressed with Tennessee they were. One guy said this "you guys outplayed us, had you not turned the ball over so many times, ya'll would've one." Another said this "you guys are the definition of 'never quit' and you've got to be really proud of them."
Walking to my car, not 1 negative thing was said to me. A couple more "ya'll played great" and folks were saying "excuse me" as we shared a common walkway.
What I found out about A&M is that hospitality and good manners is very, very important to their culture. Yes, they like big hits and winning just like us, but they legitimately care about how their fans represent their school.
It was an amazing experience really. I hope that our fans will show opposing fans the same amount of respect - it goes a long way and it's the right thing to do.
