Party at the Tail End

Today tailgating is a huge part of most athletic events; especially college football. But, it doesn’t end there. You’ll smell the aroma of sausages, steaks and basically anything you can grill- at many types of outdoor pre-events like NASCAR, music concerts and even kid's events.

Believe it or not, the First American Tailgate was not a very happy occasion; picnic-goers watched the opening battle of the 1861 Civil War from the sidelines (kind of like that gladiator thing). But thankfully, today’s college tailgates are more celebratory but still serious business as 30 percent of all tailgaters never even enter the stadium. True gators hang out celebrating in the lot listening to or watching the game from their remote TVs. 

- Sport Tailgating dates back to the very first college football game between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869, when fans traveled to the game by carriage; grilling at the "tail end" of the horse.

- Then there’s Yale in 1904. Seems there was a train made up of private railcars that brought fans to a Yale game. The train stopped at the station and the fans had to walk to the stadium. When they arrived at the stadium, they were hungry and thirsty. Bummer. So the idea was born to bring along a picnic hamper of food for the next game. Good idea.

- Another assumption is that tailgating started in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1919, when the Packers team first formed. Farmers would pack their pickup trucks around the field, drop their tailgates to sit on and eat a basket of food while they watched their team play. 

Today tailgating has evolved into a more evolved party fan experience. Now huge elaborate rigs are equipped with built-in cookers, tents, roll out carpeting and wifi hook-ups creating the backyard away from home.

So what’s the best? Well, the biggest tailgate party is the Florida-Georgia Game in Jacksonville, FL; AKA the world's largest cocktail party.  Fans begin arriving midweek for Saturday’s game.  The party does not stop with kick-off.  It keeps going through half-time and well past games end. Some keep it going past Sunday afternoon. I witnessed the amazing turnout when we filmed my TV show at this event and was required to be present for the entire duration. My Faux Pressure-Cooked Chili was a crowd pleaser. And yes- of course we grilled.