25 signatures reached
To: Donde Plowman
Restore Commemorative Paper Football Tickets at the University of Tennessee
Petition to Restore Commemorative Paper Football Tickets at the University of Tennessee
To: Chancellor Donde Plowman and the University of Tennessee Administration
Dear Chancellor Plowman,
As Tennessee football fans, we understand and appreciate the many ways the University of Tennessee has embraced technology and modernized the gameday experience. Digital tickets offer convenience and efficiency, but there is one tradition that many fans deeply miss: the commemorative paper football ticket.
We respectfully ask the University of Tennessee to consider bringing back paper tickets—or, at the very least, offering fans the option to receive a commemorative paper ticket for the games they attend.
For generations of college football fans, a ticket was more than simply a means of entering the stadium. It was a souvenir, a keepsake, and a tangible reminder of a special day. Fans could save their tickets in scrapbooks, frame them, place them in boxes of memorabilia, or simply stumble across one years later and immediately remember where they were, who they were with, and what happened on that unforgettable afternoon or evening in Neyland Stadium.
One game in particular illustrates why these small pieces of memorabilia matter so much.
In 2022, I had the privilege of attending the Tennessee Volunteers’ game against Alabama—a game that will forever hold a special place in Tennessee football history. The atmosphere inside Neyland Stadium that night was unlike anything I had experienced. After years of frustration against Alabama, Tennessee finally defeated the Crimson Tide, 52–49, in one of the most memorable games in the history of the rivalry.
It was a night that deserved a keepsake.
I was there. I experienced the noise, the excitement, the anxiety, and ultimately the celebration alongside tens of thousands of other Tennessee fans. But when I look back on that historic night, there is something missing: I don’t have a paper ticket from the game.
I would love to have that small piece of memorabilia that says, I was there.
A digital ticket may get a fan through the gate, but it doesn’t carry the same sentimental value. A commemorative paper ticket can become part of a fan’s personal history. It can mark a child’s first Tennessee game, a family’s annual tradition, a rivalry victory, a championship season, a senior’s final game, or simply a night when everything about Neyland Stadium felt magical.
College football is built on tradition. The checkerboards, the Power T, “Rocky Top,” the Vol Walk, the Pride of the Southland, and generations of fans passing their love of Tennessee football down to their children all connect us to the University’s history.
Paper tickets can be part of that tradition, too.
We recognize that fully returning to traditional paper admission tickets may not be practical or necessary in today’s world. That’s why we ask the University to consider a compromise: continue using digital tickets for entry while offering fans a commemorative paper ticket as a keepsake. These could even be designed specifically for each opponent and game, making them unique pieces of Tennessee football memorabilia.
Imagine looking through a collection of tickets years from now and seeing the history of Tennessee football represented game by game. Imagine a fan who attended the 2022 Alabama game being able to hold that ticket decades later and tell their children and grandchildren, “I was there when Tennessee beat Alabama.”
Those memories are priceless.
The University of Tennessee has one of the most passionate fan bases in all of college football. Our traditions matter to us because they connect generations of Vols fans. A commemorative ticket may seem like a small thing, but to the people who attend these games, it can become a physical piece of a memory that lasts a lifetime.
We respectfully ask Chancellor Plowman and the University of Tennessee to consider bringing back commemorative paper football tickets and giving fans the opportunity to preserve a tangible piece of the games they love.
Because some moments deserve more than a notification on a phone.
Some moments deserve to be remembered.
And some memories deserve a ticket.
Go Vols!
Respectfully,
A Tennessee Football Fan
Why is this important?
Why Sign?
If you’re a Tennessee football fan, you know that some games become memories we carry with us forever. A paper ticket may seem small, but it can become a treasured piece of those memories—a physical reminder of where you were, who you were with, and what you experienced inside Neyland Stadium.
Today, our tickets live on our phones and disappear after the game. We believe fans should have the choice to keep a commemorative ticket as a lasting souvenir.
Think about the games that mean the most to you: your first Tennessee game, a rivalry victory, a senior day, a last game with a loved one, or an unforgettable night like the 2022 victory over Alabama. Wouldn’t you want something tangible to remember it by?
Sign this petition to bring back commemorative paper tickets to Tennessee football. Help preserve a small but meaningful tradition and give future generations of Vol fans something they can hold onto and say, “I was there.”
Tradition matters. Memories matter. Let’s bring back the ticket. 🍊🏈
Go Vols!