ESPN's Rick Reilly takes on the Tailgating Rules

[elcid83]

The assault on tailgating
You can take my ticket, but you can't take away my tailgate!
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Reilly By Rick Reilly
ESPN The Magazine

This column appears in the Nov. 2 issue of ESPN The Magazine.

Of all the gates -- Watergate, Monicagate, Spygate -- there is only one gate this country can be proud of: the tailgate.

A parking-lot spiral, a cheese brat whispering sweet nitrates and a decent ticket in your pocket. Buddy, that's more American than deficits. So why is America trying to kill tailgating?

Look around: Outside Soldier Field -- home of the Chicago Bears -- fans are getting kicked out of the parking lot once the game starts. Heresy! A lot of Bears fans can't afford tickets ($245 for a nosebleed), but they love pulling into the south lot (for which they pay $46), opening up the camper van, putting one satellite dish on the tailgate and one on the roof and living and dying for their Bears. Tailgaiting is a tradition that's been in place for 90 years, and now it's forbidden? Why don't they just clean our Weber grills with the American flag!

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[EmeryZach]

Great article. UMass has the rule that tailgating stops at kickoff, but that's so the students actually come into the stadium. Otherwise the student section would be empty.

Thanks for the post, but just to let you know, the admin will probably tell you to take down the article and put up the link. You might want to do it before he sees it.

[WileECoyote06]

They have that dumb three hours before kickoff rule at Duke, too.

[JMUNJ08]

JMU's prime student tailgate spot was taken away for season ticket holders. Now the lot is 1/2 full at game time and almost barren 2 hours before kickoff...ON HOMECOMING.

[McNeese75]

xmadx, Yep at McNeese they kick us to the curb at noon on Sunday :D

[NHwildEcat]

I love tailgaiting...and it is a shame the reduction that programs and pro teams are doing. In Tampa Bay you can even tailgate for baseball games...hell, that is awesome!

[CID1990]

Elcid83,

You actually read something written by that scumbag?

(Not that I don't disagree with him on this one)

[grizband]

At Montana, tailgates are not supposed to begin until two hours before kickoff, and no alcohol is to be served after the start of the second half.

[WestCoastAggie]

I wish Murray State had any resemblence of Tailgating, hopefully there will be some on Halloween ESPECIALLY since I decided not to go to A&T's Homecoming this year. :(

BTW: A&T and quite a few HBCU's have some great tailgating atmospheres and pack out the stadium. I guarantee you that A&T will have 22000 in Aggie Stadium, 20, thousand outside the stadium and Thousands more on campus at the Greek Plots.

COLLEGE DAYS SWIFTLY PASS...:(

[EmeryZach]

Elcid83,

You actually read something written by that scumbag?

(Not that I don't disagree with him on this one)

Why don't you like Rick Reilly? Is there some history with him and The Citadel.

[Husky Alum]

At Northeastern, tailgating starts when the guys let us in the gate - it's been as many as 4-5 hours before gametime.

It ends when we say it ends. They don't really kick us out.

We can freely move back and forth between the tailgate lot and the field at our leisure.

Perfect world.

Shame there's only about 20-30 spots for prime tailgating.

(for those of you who have never been to Parsons, it's an um - tailgating experience unlike any other).

One of the few "stadiums" in America where you don't need a ticket in order to watch the game from your car and tailgate.

[yorkcountyUNHfan]

At Northeastern, tailgating starts when the guys let us in the gate - it's been as many as 4-5 hours before gametime.

It ends when we say it ends. They don't really kick us out.

We can freely move back and forth between the tailgate lot and the field at our leisure.

Perfect world.

Shame there's only about 20-30 spots for prime tailgating.

(for those of you who have never been to Parsons, it's an um - tailgating experience unlike any other).

One of the few "stadiums" in America where you don't need a ticket in order to watch the game from your car and tailgate.

The tailgate at NU is one I will remember for a long time.xthumbsupx

Husky Alum is a great hostxbowxxbowx

[elcid83]

Elcid83,

You actually read something written by that scumbag?

(Not that I don't disagree with him on this one)

I know he wrote a bad one about us years ago, but I have come to enjoy his columns.

Go Bulldogs!

[elcid83]

Why don't you like Rick Reilly? Is there some history with him and The Citadel.

Zach, in 1992, Mr. Reilly was given unfettered access to The Citadel football program and chose to write a very scathing article about The Citadel. I don't think he will be invited to the campus anytime soon.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004233/index.htm

[WileECoyote06]

I wish Murray State had any resemblence of Tailgating, hopefully there will be some on Halloween ESPECIALLY since I decided not to go to A&T's Homecoming this year. :(

BTW: A&T and quite a few HBCU's have some great tailgating atmospheres and pack out the stadium. I guarantee you that A&T will have 22000 in Aggie Stadium, 20, thousand outside the stadium and Thousands more on campus at the Greek Plots.

COLLEGE DAYS SWIFTLY PASS...:(

Hey Phrat

[aust42]

At Delaware gates open 4 hours before kickoff. They actually added an hour to the post tailgating. It used to be an hour now it's back to two hours. I would lead the riot if they tried to ban tailgating or severely cut back on it like some of these PU$$EY politcially correct schools who think tailgating promotes excessive drinking. Tailgating and football go hand in hand. It's not just about drinking for God's sake.

[Sader87]

HC has become much more draconian in their "tail-gate policy" the last few years as well. You can tailgate before the game (no kegs, common source alcohol) but must go into the game once it starts and then you are neither allowed to leave the stadium during the game nor allowed to tailgate post-game. (They say you have to leave an hour after the game ends but they (Worcester PD) basically give you the bum's rush once the game's over.

I understand their thinking (cut down on excessive alcohol intake) but the way in which they go about this has turned off a lot of alumni, Worcester locals etc. ...who chose to basically not go anymore. It's too bad because it probably "costs" attendence in the 5-10,000 range.

[SUjagTILLiDIE]

I wish Murray State had any resemblence of Tailgating, hopefully there will be some on Halloween ESPECIALLY since I decided not to go to A&T's Homecoming this year. :(

BTW: A&T and quite a few HBCU's have some great tailgating atmospheres and pack out the stadium. I guarantee you that A&T will have 22000 in Aggie Stadium, 20, thousand outside the stadium and Thousands more on campus at the Greek Plots.

COLLEGE DAYS SWIFTLY PASS...:(

SU had over 100,000 on campus for homecoming last week. The only problem was they ran out of parking and had to close incoming traffic off. It was a mess. Folks who had purchased parking passes couldnt get on campus. Folks had to walk 3 or 4 miles to get on campus.

[bkrownd]

Never understood the tailgating thing. I hate parking lots.

[bcrawf]

At UNI where kickoff is at 4:05, the lots start to fill up at around 8:00 and things are in full swing by 11:00 or so...

[EmeryZach]

Zach, in 1992, Mr. Reilly was given unfettered access to The Citadel football program and chose to write a very scathing article about The Citadel. I don't think he will be invited to the campus anytime soon.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004233/index.htm

Oh I see. That seems to happen a lot. What's up with that?

[93henfan]

The solution to these measures is organization. If people allow the powers that be to bend them over, then they better get out the lube because it won't stop.

When they opened Lincoln Financial field in 2003, they changed stadium policy to not allow fans to bring in their own food. The fans successfully fought back, with the support of petition drives in the two Philly Newspapers and the help of local sandwich shops and the Governor (a populist Eagles fan), and successfully had the policy overturned by the Eagles. (see Hogie Gate).

[Husky Alum]

HC has become much more draconian in their "tail-gate policy" the last few years as well. You can tailgate before the game (no kegs, common source alcohol) but must go into the game once it starts and then you are neither allowed to leave the stadium during the game nor allowed to tailgate post-game. (They say you have to leave an hour after the game ends but they (Worcester PD) basically give you the bum's rush once the game's over.

I understand their thinking (cut down on excessive alcohol intake) but the way in which they go about this has turned off a lot of alumni, Worcester locals etc. ...who chose to basically not go anymore. It's too bad because it probably "costs" attendence in the 5-10,000 range.

When NU played HC a few years ago, we had a miserable experience with the cops there. About 40 minutes before the game they hustled us into the stadium and made us close up our tailgate shop.

They told us that a bottle of rum was considered "common source alcohol" and we couldn't serve rum and coke. I said, "so if one of us sips the rum out of a bottle, it's ok, right?" They gave me a puzzled look and said "Why would you want to do that?" I said "it's not considered common source alcohol then."

After the game Sader's right, they told us to get out as quickly as possible, although the piece of paper we got when we entered the tailgate lot said we had an hour. We were told "that means the lot has to be cleaned out within an hour after the game."

We felt very rushed, and the pregame experience wasn't as good as it could have been.

[Poker Alan]

Never understood the tailgating thing. I hate parking lots.

I hope this isn't serious...

[bkrownd]

Sho is serious. My idea of a great pre-game activity is strolling through the sleepy streets of beautiful Amherst, kicking up the fallen leaves. That of course follows a morning of birdwatching at Quabbin. :)

[LacesOut]

Heck, sometimes the tailgates are better than the damn games!

I'm sure quite a few Delaware fans remember the days when we could tailgate throughout entire game!! I went to UD back in the early 90's and I can't remember going into to many games. I think for the games that we did go into, it wasn't until halftime. haha

[MSUBear42]

At MSU they're just trying to get as many people as possible TO EVEN TAILGATE! What the hell is wrong with a town where people don't like to get together with their friends, listen to some good music and drink beer? Makes no sense to me.

[KiddBrewer]

TECHNICALLY.....youre not supposed to drink beer in the tailgate areas at Appalachian games until 3 hours before kickoff.....

but as one cop once told me.....

"why do you think God invented Solo cups?"

[ngineer]

A number of tailgaters have decided to stay in the lot tailgating rather than go to the game in Goodman. Ours usually sets up around 9 a.m., though most show around 10..12:30 kickoffs. We can hang around for a good bit after..The problem at Lehigh is the harrassment the students have gotten, which has driven down their attendance.xsmhx

[UNIFanSince1983]

At UNI where kickoff is at 4:05, the lots start to fill up at around 8:00 and things are in full swing by 11:00 or so...

Technically you can't start tailgating till 4 hours before kickoff. And I believe that just means drinking until noon.

I know last weekend while working parking (easiest job ever) we were "setting up" and one of the public safety officers came by and asked us why people don't understand no drinking until noon. They never go around and enforce it. It is sort of like prohibition. They want those rules, but don't have the officers to enforce those rules.

Like you said, however, people are there plenty before the 4 hour rule...

[MR. CHICKEN]

Heck, sometimes the tailgates are better than the damn games!

I'm sure quite a few Delaware fans remember the days when we could tailgate throughout entire game!! I went to UD back in the early 90's and I can't remember going into to many games. I think for the games that we did go into, it wasn't until halftime. haha

DUH STADIUM WOOD BE FULL........EVERAH ONE ELSE...WAS OUTSIDE.....DIGGIN' WDEL......DUH CHOW....DUH SUDS........BRAWK!!

[EmeryZach]

Zach, in 1992, Mr. Reilly was given unfettered access to The Citadel football program and chose to write a very scathing article about The Citadel. I don't think he will be invited to the campus anytime soon.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004233/index.htm

I just finished the article. How much of it is lies? Can you guys point out some of them for me. Everything he says seems to sound similar to what I have heard The Citadel is like. I'm sure some things have changed since '92, but what part of his article is true and which is fiction. If you guys are still this mad about it then there must be some lies in there (and truths). Or do you guys just not like it when outsiders write about what is going on there?

Just curious.

[Sader87]

The "tail-gating problem" at HC I think stems from the fact that once we dropped scholarships in the early 90's and started to lose a majority of games...most people would tail-gate the entire game, never once going into Fitton Field.

The school should allow a reasonable time (two hours) after the game to socialize...especially so when a large segment of its fans are travelling from NY, NJ etc. to get to the game itself.

[Husky Alum]

I just finished the article. How much of it is lies? Can you guys point out some of them for me. Everything he says seems to sound similar to what I have heard The Citadel is like. I'm sure some things have changed since '92, but what part of his article is true and which is fiction. If you guys are still this mad about it then there must be some lies in there (and truths). Or do you guys just not like it when outsiders write about what is going on there?

Just curious.

I work with a guy from the north who went to The Citadel, and asked him about "the stuff" that goes on there, and he smiled and said "there's a lot of self imposed discipline, and history, and tradition".

That's all he said, so you can read between the lines.

When I asked him about the Sports Illustrated article he replied "people write what they want about what they think people want to read."

[elcid83]

I just finished the article. How much of it is lies? Can you guys point out some of them for me. Everything he says seems to sound similar to what I have heard The Citadel is like. I'm sure some things have changed since '92, but what part of his article is true and which is fiction. If you guys are still this mad about it then there must be some lies in there (and truths). Or do you guys just not like it when outsiders write about what is going on there?

Just curious.

My perspective may be biased, but, I will give you my honest assessment. Each of Reilly's "sources" was someone who didn't make it. These people are notorious for making up excuses as to why it was someone else's fault as to why they weren't man enough to make it at The Citadel. I am not the manliest person I know and I was able to make it through. In my 4 years at The Citadel [1979-83], I never heard anyone scream [nightime, daytime, or anytime]. I never once heard anyone scream out loud. Each barracks is set up such that if someone was in there screaming it would be hard not to hear. Like everything else, The Citadel has its share of bad apples. They can't be watched all of the time. There are bad lawyers, bad doctors, bad bankers, bad truck drivers, etc ... All Citadel men [and women] should not be tainted by the bad acts of a few bad actors.

Go Bulldogs!

[igo4uni]

At UNI where kickoff is at 4:05, the lots start to fill up at around 8:00 and things are in full swing by 11:00 or so...

I wish I could be there. Gotta stay sober to drive.!!!!

[CID1990]

I just finished the article. How much of it is lies? Can you guys point out some of them for me. Everything he says seems to sound similar to what I have heard The Citadel is like. I'm sure some things have changed since '92, but what part of his article is true and which is fiction. If you guys are still this mad about it then there must be some lies in there (and truths). Or do you guys just not like it when outsiders write about what is going on there?

Just curious.

I'll echo 83 on that one.

Reilly described an athletic program in tatters. He also described a lot of activities that just did not occur. I was there during the year he was referring to. I remember the investigation that I went through when one of our knobs left. About 4 weeks after he got home his mommy called and alleged that one of the guys in my company had hazed him. It happens a lot. Kid gets home and suddenly he's not the manly-man going off to The Citadel. Now he has to face his high school buddies and cook up explanations for why he left that do not show him in a bad light. He was beaten, tortured, you name it.

Ironically, the issue of SI right after the one with Reilly's article was the preseason top 25 issue. Arkansas was listed as #24. A week later, that football team with all the morale problems from hazing, etc. went out to Arkansas and shut the Razorbacks down, 10-3. Not bad for a I-AA team with all the problems Reilly described, eh? We finished the regular season ranked #1.