KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For more than half a century, 88-year-old Thomas Bailey has held season tickets to University of Tennessee men’s basketball games. He said a recent price hike tripled the cost of his two tickets, so he's being forced to give them up.

“I’ve had the same seats, Section 120, Row 18, Seats 9 and 10, since the arena opened,” Bailey said.

He first bought season tickets in 1967 and made a donation in the 1980s that he said came with a promise: lifetime access to those seats.

“They assured us our donation meant we would have our seats for our lifetime,” Bailey said.

This year, the cost for his two seats jumped from $1,480 to more than $4,400.

“I’m on a fixed income and I can’t afford that kind of game,” he said. “This is a way UT has of getting rid of us old people that don

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