How Tennessee Titans invaded 'Vol country' Wednesday at Hardin Valley

The Tennessee Titans organized a youth football camp at Hardin Valley Academy on Wednesday, the first in Knoxville since the team began its summer programs in 2017.

The camp attracted more than 100 players between 7 and 14 years old from the area, including Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. On top of being an opportunity for youth players to learn from high school coaches and former Titan linebacker Gerald McRath, the camp was also an attempt to improve the Titans’ fanbase in East Tennessee.

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Kids participate in a tackling drill at a Tennessee Titans youth football camp held at Hardin Valley Academy, Wednesday, June 15, 2022.

Hardin Valley assistant coach Matt Bates was instrumental in luring the team to Knoxville through his connections as president of the Tennessee Football Coaches Association.

He described why East Tennessee is a unique market for the Titans, having to compete with the dominant Tennessee Vols brand and other nearby NFL franchises for fan support.

Former Titans player Gerald McRath coaches kids at a Tennessee Titans youth football camp held at Hardin Valley Academy, Wednesday, June 15, 2022.

“I think the Titans have always really done a great job focusing on Nashville, but they’re wanting to expand their fan base and bring more kids in,” Bates said. “Here in East Tennessee, you can get on I-75 and be in Atlanta, you can go down I-40 and be in Charlotte pretty quick and see the Panthers. It’s a large mix here in east Tennessee and (the Titans) want to fix that.”

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Several parents in attendance were happy to see the franchise branching out its youth camps to all parts of the state and increasing its presence in an area dominated by the Vols.

“We bleed orange out here,” TJ Carey said. “So there are a lot of Vols camps the (Titans) are trying to compete with. I think they’ve done a great job. Hopefully, they come back again.”

Carey’s football fandom predates the NFL in Tennessee, so his loyalties lie with the Dallas Cowboys, despite the 14-hour road trip it would take for him to see a game at AT&T Stadium.

“I‘m born and raised here in East Tennessee and we didn’t have the Titans so I just grew up a Cowboys fan,” he said. “My son is diehard Cowboys but we both cheer for the Titans, too. I pull for them to win. I pull for them in the playoffs. Until they play the Cowboys, then I have to switch back to my old roots.”

Discounted game tickets were on sale at the camp. For $30 each, parents could buy tickets to watch the Titans play the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium on Oct. 23.

“We’ve never been to a Titans game and that was a good incentive for us,” said Hayley Holloway. “It’s affordable, it’s close. So because of this camp, we’ll be able to go to our first Titans game which is pretty neat.”

The franchise’s recent success helps as well. The Titans are back-to-back AFC South champions and have reached the postseason four of the last five seasons.

Jeff Holloway, a parent at the camp, thinks the franchise is doing well to increase its outreach during a promising cycle much like another high-profile Tennessee team.

“Look at Tennessee baseball and youth baseball (in Knoxville),” he said. “Youth baseball has blown up because the Vols are doing fantastic.”

Though the 3-hour road trip to Nashville is a factor, Hardin Valley football coach Jeff Miner thinks there is room for both the Titans and Vols in the Knoxville football sphere.

“Nashville is a little ways away, so this will always be Vol country,” he said. “But it’s nice to have somebody to root for on Sundays as well, so I think they can both coexist.”

Alberto Camargo is a sports intern with the Knoxville-News Sentinel. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @albaretoe.

How Tennessee Titans invaded ‘Vol country’ Wednesday at Hardin Valley

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