Tailgating - an American Tradition

Don't Miss Out on the Pre-game Fun!

If you’re not tailgating before the ballgame, then you’re missing out on a lot of the fun. In fact, half of all game goers cited the tailgating experience as being as much or more fun than the actual game in a recent survey by Ragu. Really now. Everyone loves a party, and an outdoor mega party is even more fun than the intimate home parties where you have to clean up after.


History of the Pre-Sport


Most historians date tailgating back to the 1800s when fans carried picnics to games. After all, there were no fast food restaurants back then, and horse and buggy travel was exhausting. Mom would load up the dinner basket and feed the family before the big game. Picture homemade biscuits and home cured ham slabs packed in buckets. Add a jug of tea or lemonade, and our forbearers were set for the day.


These early foodfests were held at college football events, since professional football didn’t emerge until the 1950s. The first collegiate game was held between Rutgers and Princeton. Though the northern teams led the team pride parade, southerners quickly embraced both the sport and the tradition of pigging out before games with family and friends. It was traditional in the southern states to serve up wild fish and game before kick off and then to grub on leftovers afterwards.


Tailgating continued in various forms over the years, but the tradition began to really catch on with fans during the 1970s. Those big woodie-sided station wagons with the drop down back panels were ideal party wagons for families out for a sporting good time. Mom, dad, the kids, and even friends could load up and have a grand old time without going broke.


Today, tailgating is much more art than science. Tailgaters range from motor home enthusiasts with full kitchen accommodations to teens in pick-up trucks with hibachi grills and coolers iced down with beer. Some tailgaters keep it simple. Others continue to raise the bar. You’re likely to see everything from boxes of take out chicken hand held and carried around to tables with linen clothes and candlesticks.


Get the Low Down Before Embarking on a Tailgater