Empowered: The Fan ReVOLution That Changed College Football

by Celina Summers, 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.

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2018

About the author

Celina Summers is a speculative fiction author who mashes all kinds of genres into one giant fantasy goo. Her first fantasy series, The Asphodel Cycle, was honored with multiple awards--including top ten finishes for all four books in the P&E Readers' Poll as well as a prestigious Golden Rose nomination. Her Asphodel world combines a strong classical mythology foundation, traditional fantasy characters and settings, and strong female protagonists--elements to be found in all her work. The Black Dream series is also set in Asphodel, as is her new series Blood Feud.

Celina's other published works include the Mythos sensual romance series about Greco-Roman goddesses; Metamorphosis, a collection of her short stories; and the Covenant series, vampire historical fiction co-authored with Canadian author Rob Graham. Celina was the editor of the speculative fiction e-zine Penumbra, and worked as an editor and managing editor in e-publishing for well over a decade. She now writes full-time, but moonlights and edits a select clientele of writers including NYT and USA Today bestsellers in multiple genres. She also is a sportswriter and political analyst writing for multiple media outlets.

Reviews

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does a college football program that has fallen on hard times reclaim its past glory?

Tennessee author Celina Summers became fascinated with languages and history while a high school student in the top Latin program in the nation. She continued her education in Tennessee, pursuing degrees in political science and communications. While a top collegiate debater and public speaker, she and also began her lifelong love of theater. She went into professional theater, racking up credits as an actor, scenic designer, and director along the eastern seaboard. But theater rarely pays the bills so she returned to her first love, writing. A prolific writer Celina has also been an editor, the managing editor at two publishing houses, and the founder/editor of the speculative fiction magazine Penumbra. She is also a sportswriter and a columnist at the Orange & White Report and Gameday on Rocky Top is a regular caller on the Paul Finebaum sports television show. In this book she co-authors with sports expert Tom Mattingly.

Big money versus volunteers – a powerful journey back to greatness is reported in this timely book about not only athletics but also about returning the power of the people over the corruption of the money incentivized government of the country.

EMPOWERED addresses the following - When the Tennessee Volunteers (Vols) athletic director made an unpopular decision to hire a new head football coach associated with a controversial figure, the fans were having none of it. Fed up with the university’s unwillingness to consider fan input for more than two decades, the fan base spontaneously rose up in protest. Not only did they take to the Internet with a tidal wave of tweets, but also to the streets, marching around Neyland Stadium to share their frustration with the Vols organization. This landmark event and the actions of these empowered fans began to reverse the trend of university donors and high-ranking officials controlling the direction of college athletics. With the power back in the hands of the people, the Vols revolution offers a blueprint for organizations everywhere to follow.

EMPOWERED examines the beginnings and the impact of the Volunteers fan revolt, the disconnect between state universities and sports fans, and how key influencers play roles in college athletics. EMPOWERED is the incredible true story of how the Tennessee Volunteers fan revolution inspired and influenced positive change in collegiate sports and explains: How the fan revolt changed the course of decision-making in college sports, Why some members of the media supported the university’s controversial choice, and How the fan revolution compelled the university to employ greater oversight and accountability for the athletic programs.

This book is a must read on many levels. It is most timely!

[Tim Hardison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for any Vol fan and highly suggested for others.

Having been a witness to the events of this book, all I can say is wow. The arrogance of certain boosters toward the common fans, a head football coach acting as though he is God, and a administration really not giving a damn is sickening. The truth behind the Fan Revolution is that yes indeed, we are the Caretakers, and we will stand up and be heard. I laughed, I cried, and I cursed as I read this look back at what was a wild ride on Rocky Top.

[Avidreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love college football, then this book is for you! While my favorite college football team is not Tennessee, I still found this book fascinating. I remember the Volunteers winning the National Championship back in 1998, a year after the Nebraska Cornhuskers beat them in the championship game back in 1997. They were a team to be reckoned with! After 1998, they seemed to fall from grace. I had no idea why this once power-house team seemed to have fallen apart, but now I understand. This book is packed with information on just what happened and how the fans saved Tennessee. What could have been disastrous for the University as a whole, has worked for good. This book is full of scandals. I never understood all the politics behind college football, but now I feel like I understand it a whole lot better. I am hopeful that all college football fans will see that they are powerful, especially in this age of social media. While I hope it never tears apart colleges, as there is certainly that possibility, I hope it inspires those who love their teams to stand up and do what is necessary if many bad choices are made. Had it not been for the Tennessee fan revolution, I'm not sure their football team would have ever recovered. I look forward to watching them over the next few years.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject itself begged for this book to be written, so reading this was enjoyable and very interesting, but the writing itself was good, not great. Nevertheless, chronicling what led up to and created perhaps the most disorganized and dark year in Tennessee Volunteer football made for an eye-opening experience while taking this in. Tom Mattingly's contribution in the beginning about the history of Tennessee football, while it had some interesting notes, was sporadic and disjointed in my opinion. The book really picks up though with Summers interviews with key donors to the school and its athletic department, then moving on to discussions with print and radio journalists, along with players and fans reactions. Summers best writing was the latter third of the book, covering the narrative of the later months of 2017, when everything literally fell apart. The main subject of the book is described in this portion, where the fans literally had had enough of the incompetence in Knoxville and with the power of social media, shut down an ill-advised attempt at hiring a certain coach with a checkered past. The most eye-opening part of the book, to me, was the afterword by Dr. John Staley, Jr., where he discusses what could have been considered criminal actions by the coaching staff during the 2017 season. Worth a read for any Tennessee fan....

[Anthony Okanlawon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Passion, Pain and Purpose

Three words resound over and over again in this book and that is Passion, Pain and Purpose. The passion that fans, athletes and UT leadership has had for years. Pain came about as a result of Leadership Oversight, and Accountability mis-management. I love the fact that Celina and Tom write differently but uniquely to their own experiences and style. They helped connect the passion and pain of all stakeholders involved and connect them to the readers. The passion and pain involved in UT's journey has helped shaped purpose and the incredible Fans play a big role in revealing this purpose. I love the fact that Fans are speaking up and standing up to injustice and unhealthy ways of doing business for College Athletes. They deserve better leadership and lifestyles that will help shape their future. Great job for revealing and Sharing this great story of Empowerment!

[Jack Mayberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, could not put it down!

I loved the interviews with Joe Johnston and the insight it gave. The interview with Haslam Senior was also interesting in how the tone changed based on the questions that were asked. Overall a great read.

[Thomas P Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read on the ReVOLution

Any and all Vol fans need to read this book to learn what really has gone on the past 10 years at our university and athletic department. Some of this information may shock you, some may be expected, some will make you angry but mostly it should make you thankful for being part of Vol Nation.