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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) a tailgate party was held at the summer season of the Santa Fe Opera. People attending such a party are said to be tailgating. Many people participate even if their vehicles do not have tailgates.
Tailgating in media
In 1986, Jeff Krulik and John Heyn produced the video documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot. It documents heavy metal music fans tailgating in the parking lot outside the Capital Centre (later renamed US Airways Arena, since demolished) in Landover, Maryland on May 31, 1986 before a Judas Priest concert (with opening act Dokken).
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.
For twelve years, Joe Cahn has been traveling the country from stadium to stadium, as the self-declared Commissioner of Tailgating. 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".
In 2007, the NFL angered many football fans by banning tailgating at Super Bowl XLI in Miami. The NFL cited security risks, though many suspected it had more to do with corporate sponsored events than any real threat. In 2008, an online petition began circulating to encourage the NFL to lift the no tailgating at the Super Bowl policy. Members of the sports media 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.
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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
- ESPN. "John Madden Bio". ESPN.
- ^ Joe Cahn. "Who is Joe Cahn". Tailgating.com.
- CBS 4 Miami. "Tailgating Forbidden On Super Bowl Sunday". cbs4.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - Michael David Smith. "No Real Fans Allowed: Tailgating Banned at Super Bowl". America Online.
- "Allow Tailgating at the Super Bowl Petition". Tailgating Ideas.
- Ben Smith. "NFL's grill ban burns tailgaters". Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.
- Tailgating Ideas. "Tailgating Games to Play". Tailgatingideas.com.