Tennessee’s wildlife supports public health, outdoor access and a multi-billion-dollar economy. Relying almost entirely on hunters and anglers to fund it is neither fair nor sustainable.

As a physician, I have spent much of my career focused on prevention. Long before illness requires treatment, the environments we live in shape our physical and mental health. In Tennessee, few environments matter more than our outdoors, and in the outdoors, nothing is more therapeutic than our fish and wildlife.  

Public lands, waterways and wildlife are not just recreational assets. They are places where Tennesseans walk, fish, hunt, paddle and spend time with family. Access to these spaces supports physical activity, reduces stress and strengthens mental health. These benefits reach communities across the state and contribute directly to overall public health.  

Opinion: Tennesseans can ban a state property tax for good

There is also a clear economic and fiscal connection. Outdoor recreation and wildlife-related activity supported by responsible management generate billions of dollars in income each year, support well over 200,000 Tennessee jobs and return nearly $2 billion annually in state and local tax revenue. These jobs span tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, hospitality, retail and small businesses that rely on well-managed land and water. A healthy environment supports healthy people and a healthy economy. When wildlife management is underfunded, the economic and public health consequences follow.  

The consequences of a funding imbalance  

Maintaining these benefits requires steady and responsible management. Wildlife populations must be monitored. Habitat must be conserved. Public lands and access points must remain safe and usable. These responsibilities exist regardless of economic cycles or inflation and require consistent funding to be carried out effectively.  

Today, the way wildlife management is funded no longer reflects how widely these resources are used. Hunters and anglers currently provide 81 percent of the funding through license fees and federal excise taxes, even though they represent a minority of users. Sportsmen have carried this responsibility for decades and remain deeply committed to conservation. But asking one group to shoulder nearly the entire cost of a public resource that benefits all Tennesseans is neither fair nor sustainable.  

This imbalance also places pressure on hunting and fishing access. Relying solely on license fees risks pricing that can discourage participation in activities that promote physical health and connection to our wildlife resources. It also fails to recognize that wildlife management benefits everyone, including families seeking to be active outdoors. 

A fiscally responsible path toward sustainability 

A dedicated general fund support offers a sustainable approach. It will help safeguard hunting and fishing access, reduce pressure for repeated fee increases and protect one of Tennessee’s most reliable economic engines. Just as importantly, it will provide stability so wildlife management can focus on long-term planning rather than short-term budget constraints.  

LEXINGTON — To say emotions have runneth over in Kentucky basketball’s last two games is to understate it. Officials assessed four technicals to UK in its win over Arkansas last week. And just before the final buzzer of Wednesday’s victory against Oklahoma, junior forward Brandon Garrison earned another.

Coach Mark Pope is conflicted. Somewhat.

“I don’t love it; I love where it’s coming from,” Pope said Friday. “I would rather for us to play outside the lines a little bit in this rush to, like, embrace the competitiveness of these games. And I’d rather have our emotions spill over than spill under. And so we have to be better at managing it, keeping it focused. But if we’re gonna be wrong, let’s be wrong this way.”

Stream Kentucky vs. Tennessee

Ahead of tonight’s game versus Tennessee, one is reminded its players said they didn’t want to win as badly as UK did when it rallied from a 17-point deficit to net an 80-78 victory last month at Thompson-Boling Arena.

If Kentucky (16-7, 7-3 SEC) emerges victorious in tonight’s SEC rumble at Rupp Arena, it not only will be the Wildcats’ eighth win in their past nine games, but it will mark a regular-season sweep of Tennessee (16-6, 6-3) for the second time in as many years.

Courier Journal sports reporter Ryan Black and columnist C.L. Brown are at Rupp Arena and will have live updates throughout the game — here and on X, formerly known as Twitter — and complete coverage after. You can follow them on X at @RyanABlack and @clbrownhoops.

Follow along with live updates from today’s game between the Wildcats and Volunteers below:

Kentucky is sticking with the same starting five it’s trotted out recently.

Here’s the lineup:

And here’s Tennessee’s lineup:

• TV channel: ESPN
• Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

The game between the Wildcats and Volunteers will air nationally on ESPN.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.

Those without cable can access ESPN via streaming services, with Fubo offering a free trial.

Stream Kentucky vs. Tennessee on ESPN

Betting odds: Kentucky is a 1½-point favorite (-108) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 145½ points (-108 / -112). The money line odds are Kentucky -120, Tennessee +100.  

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

• Oct. 17: Blue-White game (Click here to read takeaways from the intrasquad scrimmage.)
• Oct. 24: exhibition vs. Purdue (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Purdue 65
• Oct. 30: exhibition vs. Georgetown University (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Georgetown 84, Kentucky 70
• Nov. 4: Nicholls (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Nicholls 51
• Nov. 7: Valparaiso (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 107, Valparaiso 59
• Nov. 11: at Louisville (KFC Yum! Center) | SCORE: Louisville 96, Kentucky 88
• Nov. 14: Eastern Illinois (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Eastern Illinois 53
• Nov. 18: vs. Michigan State (Champions Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Michigan State 83, Kentucky 66
• Nov. 21: Loyola University Maryland (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Loyola Maryland 46
• Nov. 26: Tennessee Tech (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 104, Tennessee Tech 54
• Dec. 2: North Carolina (Rupp Arena; ACC/SEC Challenge) | SCORE: North Carolina 67, Kentucky 64
• Dec. 5: vs. Gonzaga (Bridgestone Arena; Nashville) | SCORE: Gonzaga 94, Kentucky 59
• Dec. 9: North Carolina Central (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 103, North Carolina Central 67
• Dec. 13: Indiana (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 72, Indiana 60
• Dec. 20: vs. St. John’s (CBS Sports Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) | SCORE: Kentucky 78, St. John’s 66
• Dec. 23: Bellarmine (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 99, Bellarmine 85
• Jan. 3: at Alabama | SCORE: Alabama 89, Kentucky 74
• Jan. 7: Missouri (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Missouri 73, Kentucky 68
• Jan. 10: Mississippi State (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 92, Mississippi State 68
• Jan. 14: at LSU | SCORE: Kentucky 75, LSU 74
• Jan. 17: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 80, Tennessee 78
• Jan. 21: Texas (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 85, Texas 80
• Jan. 24: Ole Miss (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 72, Ole Miss 63
• Jan. 27: at Vanderbilt | SCORE: Vanderbilt 80, Kentucky 55
• Jan. 31: at Arkansas | SCORE: Kentucky 85, Arkansas 77
• Feb. 4: Oklahoma (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 94, Oklahoma 78
• Feb. 7: Tennessee (Rupp Arena), 8:30 p.m.
• Feb. 14: at Florida, 3 p.m.
• Feb. 17: Georgia (Rupp Arena), 9 p.m.
• Feb. 21: at Auburn, 8:30 p.m.
• Feb. 24: at South Carolina, 7 p.m.
• Feb. 28: Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 2 p.m.
• March 3: at Texas A&M, 7 p.m.
• March 7: Florida (Rupp Arena), 4 p.m.

Record: 16-7 (7-3 SEC)

• Denzel Aberdeen (guard, senior)
• Collin Chandler (guard, sophomore)
• Mouhamed Dioubate (forward, junior)
• Brandon Garrison (forward, junior)
• Braydon Hawthorne (forward, freshman)
• Walker Horn (guard, senior)
• Andrija Jelavić (forward, sophomore)
• Jasper Johnson (guard, freshman)
• Jaland Lowe (guard, junior)
• Malachi Moreno (center, freshman)
• Trent Noah (forward, sophomore)
• Otega Oweh (guard, senior)
• Reece Potter (forward, junior)
• Jayden Quaintance (forward, sophomore)
• Zach Tow (forward, senior)
• Kam Williams (guard, sophomore)

Click here to view the Volunteers’ complete schedule.

Want to learn the Volunteers’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.