The Return of the V-O-L-S at Neyland Stadium

By Mark Nagi If you’ve been around the UT campus lately you’ve likely seen a lot of construction taking place at Neyland Stadium. Phase one renovations are expected to be complete in time for the season opener on September 1 at home against Ball State. Those...

College Athletics Changing for the Worse

By Mark Nagi I’m not good with change. Never have been. Never will be. I was sad when Rita’s Bakery closed its doors. I went to the Tazewell Pike store a few times a year for over a decade, picking up fancy sugar cookies for my daughter’s birthdays. It was a special...

The Love Kitchen Continues to Make a Difference

By Mark Nagi Ending hunger for everyone. “The Love Kitchen” in East Knoxville was born on Valentine’s Day 1986 with that mission in mind. It was the brainchild of twin sisters Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner. They served 22 people that first day. All that Helen and Ellen...

Why Do We Care So Much About Sports?

By Mark Nagi I love sports.  I’ve always loved sports. I love playing sports but knew from an early age that I wouldn’t be a pro athlete. But watching sports has given me some of my fondest memories. One of the best days of my life happened in April 1981 when my Dad...

Rooting for the Bad Guys

By Mark Nagi As I write this article, the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team is getting ready to host Notre Dame in the Super Regionals. Win two out of three and UT will advance to the College World Series for the second straight year. No matter what happens against...

Windy City Action

By Mark Nagi As I get older, the more and more I realize how beneficial life experiences are for the soul. We weren’t meant to sit on the couch and watch other people do things while we collect dust as the Netflix queue gets a workout. With that in mind, when the...