This past Saturday night, Oct. 18, was one to be heard across the country. After the anticipated football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama, the night ended in a Tennessee win. The final score concluded at 52-49 which left the University of Tennessee on a six-game streak for the first time since 1998. After not having beaten a top-five football team since LSU in 2005, the energy in the Tennessee stadium at the end of the night was at an all-time high. Except, this fun might have caused more trouble than anyone expected.
As many viewers across the country know by now, the win against Alabama left fans thrilled. By the end of the night, things were a little crazier than anyone could have anticipated, including Tennessee itself. After a 40-yard game-winning kick by Chase McGrath, which ended Tennessee’s 15-year losing streak to Alabama, things quickly went south in the Tennessee stadium.
With adrenaline running high, fans quickly rushed the field. In the midst of the chaos, the Tennessee fans rushed the security guarding the goalposts on the field in just minutes, and started climbing the goalposts in a game-winning tradition. While security managed to retrieve a few fans from the posts, it was to no avail, and shortly after, the goalpost fell. After running one victory lap around the field, the fans quickly left with the goalpost but were quickly stopped by the police afterward. The events weren’t all fun and games though, leaving cars damaged from the goalposts, and even some students being arrested.
On top of these events, the University of Tennessee stadium was now left without goalposts. While Tennessee was quick to relieve fans that they did indeed have goalposts ready for the next game, Tennessee football did face consequences for their fans’ actions. The Southeastern Conferences fined Tennessee $100,000 after the events on Saturday night, including fans rushing the field, which is a violation of conference rules.
Shortly after this, Tennessee tweeted asking fans for help following the events on Saturday night, which included fans tearing down the goalposts, carrying them through campus and downtown, throwing them in the Tennessee River, then retrieving them the following night. While facing a hefty fine, Tennessee took a comedic stance on this tweeting, “Yall remember how we tore down the goalposts down, hauled em out of Neyland and dumped em in the Tennessee River? Anywho, turns out that in order to play next week’s game, we need goalposts on our field. Could yall help us out?”
This GoFundMe, which was published on Sunday, Oct. 16, has now surpassed its initial goal, currently standing at $158,934 raised, over $50,000 more than Tennessee was originally fined. While most thought the entire experience was funny and memorable, some did not agree with Tennessee asking fans for money. Some of this anger comes after the President of UT, Randy Boyd, was filmed saying the cost of replacing the goalposts “doesn’t matter,” shortly before the GoFundMe started.
Whether you kept up with the Tennessee versus Alabama game at all, by now it has taken over every social media platform, and new stories still arise. While being fined and criticized, Tennessee stands by its choice of celebration and has raised over enough money for the replacement goalposts.
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