Around The SEC: Tennessee Getting Creative To Enhance Fan Experience

College football is changing fast, and Tennessee looks to be ahead of the curve.

Tennessee is looking for a new way to enhance the fan experience, and the Volunteers are looking to do that by connecting an entertainment district from Thompson-Boiling Arena to Neyland Stadium. 

Looking particularly at this concept, the Atlanta Braves have something similar called "The Battery."

It's an assortment of restaurants, bars, and retail stores for fans to enjoy that has been successful since its launch. College football attendance has been down since COVID-19 caused several issues across the board in the sports landscape, and Tennessee is looking for a new way to get fans into town outside of just the game. 

Tennessee has about 1/10th of a mile to work with, and plans to build a retail district along with an entire full-service hotel. College athletics is changing, and it takes innovative ideas like this one and deep pockets to ensure you have an edge over others. 

“We're always looking to generate as much (revenue) as we can to support our athletics department,” UT athletics director Danny White recently told Knox News. "But the bigger goal out of this is our fan experience. We have the biggest and best fan base in college sports.

"And with the proximity of two iconic venues − Thompson-Boling Arena and Neyland Stadium − we've got an opportunity to do something really special from a fan experience standpoint."

How this plays out and what it potentially inspires out of other college programs throughout the nation will be something to keep an eye on in the modern era.