True story. I took my daughter to Neyland for a game years ago. She was probably around 14. During the game, at least at that time, Tennessee often liked to play country music during timeouts. My daughter looked distressed, thinking all teams played hip hop stuff like GT. I remember her confusingly giving me a "WTF?" look during "Cotton Eyed Joe".
Tennessee's fall over the last decade + had a bit to do with not spending money on sports infrastructure for years and having a culture problem
That said, Knoxville looks like a city stuck in the 1970's. Really a meh city, especially when compared to fast paced, shiny, modern Atlanta