Tom Mattingly

Empowered Tom Mattingly

How does a college football program that has fallen on hard times reclaim its past glory?No one could understand why University of Tennessee athletics had declined after the BCS National Championship and the Lady Vols' NCAA Women's Basketball Championships in 1998. But when the Volunteers fan base refused to accept a controversial coaching hire in 2017, a surprising disconnect was exposed. The divide between fans and decision-makers-sparking the Vol ReVOLution-manifested itself on social media in six incredible days of unprecedented controversy. However, the ReVOLution was also a blueprint that reflected the rising power of fans in big-money college athletics. The aftermath of the uprising raises new questions. Who's accountable for the decline of UT athletics, particularly football? Is Tennessee doomed to mediocrity? How does UT regain the status it's historically occupied?For the first time, "EMPOWERED" poses those questions to both decision-makers and common fans. If that divide can be bridged, Tennessee's path back to greatness may be easier to navigate than initially thought.