KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When Coach Jeremy Pruitt was fired, fans of the Tennessee Vols took to social media to air their grievances with the team, the university and with the decision.
The Adam Brown Social Media Command Center at the University of Tennessee tracked the conversation. They posted some of their findings on Twitter. The most significant is the number of tweets posted after Pruitt's firing — over 40,000 since news broke.
Officials at the center said that the number is comparable to the amount of conversation about foreign policy during the presidential debates.
They also said that sentiment was split down the middle after news broke. Around half of the tweets expressed positivity, such as wishing Coach Pruitt the best and saying that the decision would be good for the program. The other half worried about the investigation and the program's future.
They said that most people talked about Kevin Steele, the acting head coach, replacing Pruitt the most. Researchers said that 48% of people talked about him, followed by 18.5% of tweets about Jamey Chadwell.
While the conversation has fluctuated, officials said that it has been popular and would likely remain a popular point of conversation for a little while longer.