Tailgate party
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Tailgate_party".

A tailgate party at the 2005 Big 12 Championship game—note the pickup truck tailgates.

In North America, a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots at stadiums and arenas before, and occasionally after or during, sporting events and rock concerts. In one case (at least) tailgate parties are regularly held during the summer season of the Santa Fe Opera, especially for the season's Opening Night. People attending such a party are said to be tailgating. Many people participate even if their vehicles do not have tailgates.

Tailgating in media

The Santa Fe Opera Guild's black tie tailgate party on Opening Night 2006 before the opera, Carmen^[1]

Former Steeler and 2006 candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania Lynn Swann courts voters tailgating before a football game between the Steelers and the Eagles.^[2]

The previously underground subculture is now a part of the mainstream sports media. In 1993, ESPN's pre-game college football show College GameDay took on a tailgate-party atmosphere by placing the hosts on a portable stage set at the campus of the school hosting the week's marquee rivalry matchup with fans gathering around it to celebrate. The Fox network's NASCAR on FOX and FOX NFL Sunday have also used similar setups. Veteran broadcaster John Madden has brought attention (and cameras) into the tailgating lots for years. Madden is the author of a book entitled John Madden's Ultimate Tailgating, released in 1998.^[3]

For twelve years, Joe Cahn has been traveling the country from stadium to stadium, as the self-declared Commissioner of Tailgating.^[4] He has tailgated and tasted with fans of both college and NFL teams, and to many is the face and the voice of the tailgater. He calls the tailgating lot "the last American neighborhood" and refers to tailgate parties as "the new American community".^[4]

In 2007, the NFL angered many football fans by banning tailgating at Super Bowl XLI in Miami.^[5] The NFL cited security risks, though many suspected it had more to do with corporate sponsored events than any real threat.^[6] In 2008, an online petition^[7] began circulating to encourage the NFL to lift the no tailgating at the Super Bowl policy. Members of the sports media^[8] also questioned the validity of the NFL's claim that security concerns was the real reason for the ban.

Traditional tailgate fare

Traditionally tailgating involves the consumption of alcoholic beverages such as beer or mixed drinks and the grilling of various meat products. Popular tailgate party foods include picnic staples such as hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, and cold salads like cole slaw or potato salad. Various tailgating games include beer pong, ladder ball, corntoss, washer pitching and flipcup.^[9]

New York Jets Tailgate Lot 5A

See also

• The Boulevard, a tailgate party before American football games at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas

References