Tailgating (Football Games)

[CarlSpackler]

I, like many others, was disappointed that the other thread wasn't about tailgating before football games so I decided to start a thread.

If you're going to tailgate right, there are several essential items you must possess:

- Grill
- Tent
- Table
- Chairs
- Coolers full of beer and ice
- TV
- Stereo

You also must find an ideal location which is level and spacious enough for all your gear.

I tailgate before every home Nebraska football game. The overall tailgating atmosphere is pretty average at best, compared to many other footballs sites, since the UNL campus is located downtown and most people go to the bars before games. But our tailgating setup is balla, and we have a great time.

I also tailgated at Ames for the Iowa St. - NU game last season, and it was absolutely nuts. We were in one of the grass lots across from the stadium with mostly students, and it was a spring break like atmosphere. Someone even brought a wooden platform with a stripper pole!

The last game I tailgated at was the Big 12 Championship Game, at Arrowhead Stadium. It was one of the coldest days of the year and the bathroom situation was horrible (average 20 minute wait in line). We combined our tent with some other Husker fans next to us, and luckily they had a heater which helped a ton.

We usually arrive at our tailgating site about 5.5 hours before kickoff, and set up on one of the grass islands in the softball parking lot. For the Texas game this year (11 am kickoff), we arrived on site at 6:30 am! Our overall setup time is less than a 1/2 hour

We have a portable propane grill, which is collapsable. You can get one for a reasonable price at any fishing/wilderness store (i.e. Bass Pro Shop, etc.).

For morning games, we'll cook sausage, eggs, bacon, and make breakfast burritos. For afternoon and night games, we'll cook hamburgers, brats, wings, hot dogs, jalapeno poppers, and steaks (people have to bring their own steaks), and of course there are chips and pretzels.

We have coolers full of ice, beer (no kegs allowed, which is standard at many sites), and bottled water. We buy all the food and beverages the night before, and just divide the cost by however many people are coming to our tailgate.

It's absolutely imperative to have a tent. We only put up 2 sides of the tent, and it will shield everything from the wind, keep you dry when it rains, provide shade from the sun when it's hot, and provide extra warmth when it's cold. When buying a tent, don't go for one of the cheap ones -- it will be lucky to last an entire season. Spend the extra $$$ to get a quality tent online (I think ours cost like $360), as it will last a lot longer. A good wind will rip up one of those cheap tents pretty easily.

At most of the games, we have a satellite dish, so we're able to watch any of the ongoing games. One time last year, we had a playstation set up too.

Of course we have a football to throw around, and also a couple games, like washers, and the one with the golfballs attached to strings (can't remember what it's called, lol). We'll listen to some games on the radio, but usually we just play loud music.

About 45 minutes before kickoff, we start taking everything down, and pack it up. This usually takes less than 20 minutes. Then we'll grab one more beer for the walk to the bridge which leads to the stadium, and we're inside on the way to our seats by the time kickoff occurs.

If you're going to tailgate, you have to do it right! Don't be one of those chumps who show up in a car with only a cooler of beer and some chips!