Practice what you preach.

It’s Kentucky week, and UT fans across the state are gearing up for the game that could help break the Vols’ embarrassing streak of bowl-less, losing seasons which have plagued the program for the past three years. In a conference defined by tradition, it should come as no surprise that there exists a long, often bitter history between the Wildcats and Volunteers, defined in no small part by the (in)famous Beer Barrel trophy.

While I don’t plan on going into the history of the barrel here (see my article), I’ll sum it up by saying UT and UK competed for an alcohol-inspired trophy for more than 70 years, only to have the tradition unceremoniously dropped in the wake of drunk driving-related deaths in 1998.

The message behind the barrel’s disappearance was clear: Alcohol is bad. We shouldn’t be endorsing alcohol. No more barrel.

Does anyone else smell the hypocrisy?

Walk around campus on any given game day and you’ll be hard pressed not to trip over the sea of discarded beer bottles and red solo cups that litter the grounds. Tailgaters shamelessly pound back drink after drink out in the open, all on the property of a university that maintains the family-friendly illusion of a dry campus.

Six days out of the week, the police vigilantly patrol our hallowed grounds and keep us safe from the menace of alcohol, yet that’s all thrown out the window when game day arrives simply because the influx of thirsty fans to football games brings money to both the university and the surrounding area.

I’m not here to endorse the consumption of alcohol, but at some point individuals have to take responsibility for what they drink and not blame the drink itself. Getting rid of alcohol and alcohol-related imagery doesn’t result in a sober population (we tried that during prohibition). It only serves to promote the practice of saying one thing and doing another. In this case, discouraging alcohol only when it’s convenient. Our traditions shouldn’t have to suffer just so UT can continue to practice hypocrisy.

In many ways, the Vols’ rivalry with Kentucky is a tame one. Unlike our hatred of Florida which manifests itself through (offensive?) chants worthy of a national audience, UT’s history with the Wildcats can be likened to our rivalry with Vanderbilt: largely dominant, yet interspersed with shameful moments of defeat.

To put it plainly, it’s a team you always expect to beat, yet can never, ever stand to lose to. Having (shamefully) grown up a Vandy fan, I can say from experience that consecutive victories don’t extinguish rivalries — they just make them all the sweeter when the underdogs finally pull through (see UT-Vandy game 2005).

Yes, we beat Kentucky the majority of the time, but there exists an undeniable animosity between our schools underscored by over a century’s worth of fierce matchups, daring pranks and enough “inbred” country jokes to last a lifetime. This game, this rivalry, matters.

So yes, I would like to see the Beer Barrel once again contested between the blue and the orange, in spite of the claims that it will make the student populace drink even more than they already do. I believe there exists an opportunity to revive a lost piece of our Volunteer history which was shamelessly sacrificed at the altar of hypocrisy, just as I believe we as a student body can push the university to recognize the error of its ways.

Or maybe I just want a trophy in case we don’t make a bowl. Either way, I want the barrel back.

Tanner Hancock is a senior in journalism and electronic media. He can be reached at [email protected].