Tailgating among the T-storms

The High-tech Tailgating Tour's arrival in the Midwest coincided perfectly with the first fall rainstorms and cold weather. But, like any good die-hard tailgater, Tour organizers didn't let a little thing like the weather deter them from spreading the parking lot love. In Cleveland (ranked 22 out of 32 U.S. cities evaluated in the "America's Best Football Tailgating Cities Index"), the Tour brightened the spirits of dejected Indian fans at ABC 5 (at least slightly) by demonstrating the in-car TV possibilities at Cleveland Browns Stadium in a live segment during the noon newscast. Then it was on to Cincinnati (Tailgating Index rank #5) where the skies really opened up but not before an ultimate Bengals tailgating segment on ABC 9. In Indianapolis (Tailgating Index rank #16), blurry-eyed Tour organizers showed the TracVision A7 to FOX 59 viewers during an early-morning segment, and later to the Indianapolis Star.

If it's Thursday before sunrise, it must be Indianapolis

Of course, no swing through Middle America is complete without a stop in Chicago, arguably America's best sports town. While the City of Broad Shoulders continually rates high on fan enthusiasm, it didn't fare as well in the Tailgating Index, finishing 27th out of 32 cities rated for "tailgating friendliness." The reason? According to Joe Cahn, one of the professional tailgaters that helped evaluate each NFL market and Los Angeles, a short supply of tailgating parking spots at New Soldier Field and a preference for season ticketholders is the culprit. Regardless, High-tech Tailgating Tour organizers were able to show the wonders of the TracVision A7 mobile satellite TV system to well-known NBC 5 tech correspondents Art Norman and Charlie Wojciechowski for a detailed segment to air in the next week. Other Windy City stops included "Good Day Chicago" on FOX 32 and the Chicago Tribune.

OK, it's not New York's Rockefeller Center but Bears fans like it more

High-tech Tour in Motor City

It's no secret that Detroit-area football fans – whether they be rooting for the Lions, Wolverines, Spartans or the hundreds of other colleges or high schools in the area – take their pre- and post-game tailgating seriously. So it's not surprising that Michigan is a top state for sales of TracVision A7 mobile satellite TV systems and DIRECTV Total Choice Mobile programming.

But why the low ranking in the "America's Best Football Tailgating Cities" Index? According to Joe Cahn, one of the professional tailgaters that helped KVH Industries and DIRECTV create the national ranking of tailgating friendliness, Motown's #31 ranking out of 32 U.S. cities has nothing to do with Detroit or its ardent fans and everything to do with the tailgating restrictions at Ford Field and the municipal-owned parking lots surrounding the stadium. According to Cahn, the self-proclaimed "Commissioner of Tailgating," some of the best pre-game "tailgating" in Detroit isn't in the parking lot at all but at Hockeytown Cafe, immediately across from the stadium.

A Detroit TV cameraman gets a birds-eye view of TracVision in preparation for an "Ultimate Tailgater" segment on NBC 4

A Triumphant Day, but Questions Loom for New England Tailgaters…

The Boston Red Sox are going to the World Series. The New England Patriots are 7-0, looking more like the undisputed victors of this year’s Super Bowl every week. It’s a good day to be a sports fan in New England. Isn’t it?

Here’s the thing: New Englanders are by nature very dedicated fans. Take, for example, the proliferation of Red Sox Nation and Patriots Nation; they’re everywhere, not just in New England. However, for those who do live in the general vicinity of their beloved teams, a victorious postseason poses a bit of an issue.

At least half of the World Series will be played in Colorado. The Super Bowl will be in Arizona. How is a fan to tailgate properly in a location that begs arrival by airplane, if at all? This blogger, glad for once that my roommate is a NY Giants fan, will be at the Meadowlands when the Patriots take on the Giants in the last regular-season game of the year, making the 4-hour trek (each way) and completing 5 hours of tailgating in a Jeep, and that’s enough.

But what about the tent-pitching, grill-toting, face-painting masses for whom rooting their teams on from the parking lot is essential? Tickets are a nonissue for most of these folks; a great number of impassioned fans have gone high-tech, adding TV to their cars to solve the issue of actually seeing the game. But their rigs, their grills, their giant boxes of supplies, won’t make it through airport security. Will they rent vans, buses, giant convoys of SUVs, to drive halfway across the country? Will they give up and throw barbeques in their living rooms?

The question remains unanswered, and more importantly, it begs another: will the undisputed heroes of New England, the Patriots and the Boston Red Sox, perform as expected without their loyal following in the parking lot to cheer them on? We can only hope; and tune in as the Patriots’ most staunch opponent, the Indianapolis Colts, perform on the Monday Night Football stage plus don't miss Wednesday as the Red Sox begin their bid for the championship. A great day to be a sports fan in New England, indeed!

High Tech Tailgating Tour Takes Northeast by Storm

The High-tech Tailgating Tour continues its assault on America this week to show the wonders of live national and local TV to TV anchors, newspaper reporters and unsuspecting tailgaters. First stop was Baltimore where NBC 11's Sandra Shaw celebrated Balty's #1 ranking in the "America's Best Football Tailgating Index" during four live morning segments.

OK, so their satellite dish is bigger than ours but can you bring it to the Raven's games?

Then it was on to our nation's capital where the TracVision A7 was featured on three Washington, D.C., network affiliates – NBC 4, ABC 7 and CBS 9 – plus the Washington Times and a national tech feature hosted by ABC News technology correspondent Richard Sergay. To see the ABC News segment, go to http://abcnews.go.com/technology and click on the video icon.

Other stops this week include ABC 6 and NBC 10 in Philly, where anchors were excited about The City of Brotherly Love's tenth-place finish, and Pittsburgh's NBC 11, where reporter Trisha Pittman sang the praises of live in-car TV but lamented why the Steelers fans' tailgating scene at Heinz Field didn't rate higher than 18th. Look for the anything-but-inconspicuous High-tech Tailgating Tour Cadillac Escalade demo vehicle next in Detroit, Cleveland (will Indians fans be celebrating when we get there?), Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Chicago.

State of the Parking Lot: Week 6

Our revered Commissioner of Tailgating, Joe Cahn, attended his final New York tailgate for the 2007 season this Sunday, sandwiched between visits to Monmouth College in NJ and the Georgia Dome. Here’s what he saw:

Small Schools, Big Tailgating:
As Monmouth College prepared to kick off their 2007 Homecoming football game against Warner College, their fans prepared to fill the stadium. While a modest number in comparison to larger schools, the crowd at Monmouth on Saturday was large enough to fill the 4,500 or so seats at Kessler Field. The Monmouth Homecoming parade “went around three times,” Joe says. “It was great for keeping your attention, and allowed everyone to enjoy it a little more.” The Commissioner also reports that there were “a smattering” of satellite dishes present in the parking lot, as there typically are on Saturdays with so many college football games being broadcast nationally. “I did the same when the game was over,” he says. “Went back to my RV and switched on my TracVision to catch the rest of the games.”

Atlanta Fans Belly Up to a High-Tech Bar:
This week’s Monday Night Football contest pitted the NY Giants against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome (#28 on the National Tailgating Index). While the Falcons didn’t perform as well as they could have in their 31-10 loss to the Giants (see quarterback Joey Harrington’s comments), their fans put together an outstanding party. Joe reports that there are typically less TV screens and satellite TV antennas at Monday Night Football games than at Saturday or Sunday games, mainly because there are no other games happening on Monday night.

That doesn’t stop hardcore high-tech tailgaters, however; these folks will find a way to raise the bar no matter what. A few groups seemed to have forgotten their numbers when buying tickets – half went inside to watch the game, and others would remain outside and tailgate the whole way through, eliminating the need to pack anything up until it was time to go home. One gentleman in particular, however, took things to a whole other level. A Georgia Dome regular who always parks in the same spot, he came prepared in a high-tech tailgating trailer tricked out with flat screen TVs, a bar complete with beer tap, a refrigerator, a bathroom, and a crank-up satellite dish!

When Joe suggested an automatic satellite TV system to this tailgating aficionado, he explained that since he’s been parking in the same spot for so long, it only takes him ten minutes to get his dish set up and pointed in the direction of the satellite! Our hats off to you, sir, but just in case you ever lose your spot – TracVision can help.

Tailgating New York Style, One Last Time:
After seeing several games at the Meadowlands (tied for #18 on the National Tailgating Index) over the past few weeks, the Commish is moving on. His last 2007 New York game saw the Jets take on the Philadelphia Eagles, and he reports that the fans here, in addition to being very tech-savvy, were exceedingly hospitable. “There was a lot of ‘doin’’,” says Joe. “You know, ‘How you doin’?’ ‘I’m doin’!’” (It makes more sense if you imagine these uttered in a thick NY accent.) Jets fans cooked up some spectacular Philly cheesesteaks to make the opposing fans feel welcome, in addition to the normal global approach to tailgating cuisine that the Commish has reported seeing at the Meadowlands.

When asked if the cooling temperatures in New England had forced Jets fans to bring out the heaters, Joe replied that there were a few propane heaters, but “the weather was beautiful! Perfect football weather!” Apparently, it was perfect high-tech tailgating weather, as the Commish saw something new this Sunday – a proliferation of small generators being used to power auxiliary electronics! These were found among the many brightly painted and team-adorned buses in the parking lot.

“There were a lot of flat-screen TVs,” says the Commish. “Technology makes it much easier to watch the pre-game and, at early games like this one, the other NFL games that are on later.” In fact, several Jets fans stayed in the parking lot and tailgated long after the final score was in the books, watching the other NFL broadcasts. Not surprising, since Joe also reports that the Meadowlands typically seems to hosts more high-tech tailgaters than lots of other stadiums. “New Yorkers like to be connected,” he says.

Coming Up for Week 7:
This week, Joe is headed to warmer climes as he watches the New England Patriots defend their undefeated record against the Miami Dolphins at Dolphin Stadium, and then visits Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for another possible upset as the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the 5-0 Indianapolis Colts. Stay tuned, because these games are sure to produce some exciting tailgating!

State of the Parking Lot - Commissioner’s Report on Week 5

Week 5 of the 2007 NFL season was a busy one for the Commish! He visited Rutgers Stadium in NJ for some Big East conference tailgating action on Saturday, and then attended the parties in the parking lot at the Meadowlands on Sunday and in Buffalo on Monday night. Check out what he saw:

Win or Lose, Rutgers Fans Rock! The Bearcats may have taken down the Scarlet Knights in their own house, 28-23, but that didn’t stop Rutgers fans from cheering their team on. The Commish has been tailgating at Rutgers Stadium for about 7 years now, and pointed out that the fans were as hospitable as ever on this most recent trip. Win or lose, these are some loyal tailgaters! The parking lot was dotted with an array of satellite dishes as well, as fans caught the rest of the college football matchups before the Scarlet Knights and Bearcats kicked off at 8 p.m. The Commish points out that he saw “quite a few RVs and buses with TracVision,” and a few home satellite dishes being rigged to broadcast the games as well.

NY vs. … NY? The NY Giants were the official “home” team in the New York/New York contest on Sunday, but of course, Jets fans turned out to the Meadowlands (tied for #18 on the National Tailgating Index) as well. While, according to our revered Commissioner of Tailgating, the game was uninspiring (“More like a New York intramural scrimmage,” he says), the food in the parking lot was the opposite. Amicable fans from both sides offered up “the same things you would find in any New York restaurant,” says the Commish, including Italian, Portuguese, and new American cuisine. Sounds more like a Food Network special than a football game, right? True, but how many TV specials have you seen where the contestants are also watching sports?

Many satellite dishes were in operation in the Meadowlands parking lot on Sunday, offering up entertainment of all kinds to match the diverse cuisine, and sometimes just as much effort. The Commish has seen high-tech tailgaters with home dishes in the parking lot at nearly every game this season, using all kinds of creative methods to anchor them in place, including cement and bungee cords!

The Most Talked-About Game of the Week: The Commish was there in the parking lot for the Dallas Cowboys’, er, interesting win over the Buffalo Bills. While the game itself caused some controversy and has had football commentators arguing all week about the Cowboys and the Bills, there was no argument about the creativity at Ralph Wilson Stadium (ranked #9 on the National Tailgating Index). One innovative tailgater sported a grill made from an old iron bed frame! While the Commish calls this a “low-tech tailgating accessory,” it’s certainly still worth mentioning. We have a hunch that if this guy had a mobile satellite TV system, it might be tuned to the DIY channel. In addition to the interesting grill, tailgaters in Buffalo were serving up as many kinds of chicken wings as there were opinions about the game’s conclusion. The party food that took center stage, however, was deep-fried turkey. It was Thanksgiving Day in nearby Canada, after all.

Week 6 Preview: The Commish will be back at the Meadowlands this Sunday, as the NY Jets take on the Philadelphia Eagles. “Parking is getting tough to obtain up here,” Joe says, “but I always get a spot. I’m expecting a lot of great Philly cheesesteaks.”

What’s your favorite, or most creative, tailgating accessory that must be plugged in? Let us know – the coolest tailgating accessories could start their path to fame right here!

Mouth watering

Even with our focus on high-tech tailgating, there's no denying that one of the big attractions for tailgating of any sort is the food. Of course, putting satellite TV and awesome food together makes for an even better time. A perfect example of this is this article in the Houston Chronicle from October 8th. Not only does it reflect the passion that Houston Texan fans show as well as the cuisine of Texas tailgaters but it also provides some recipes, too! Sadly, I read the article and wrote blog entry at lunchtime, all the while thinking about Roddie's Rowdies Texas Beer Brats while my PB&J sandwich and bag of cut-up carrots and peppers taunted me...

State of the Parking Lot – Commissioner’s Report on Week 4

This past weekend, Joe Cahn, the Commissioner of Tailgating, reported in from the worlds of pro and college football, and he assures attendees of parties in parking lots everywhere that both communities are active, happy, and well fed as the season progresses. We wish we could say the same for the teams the Commish visited, but unfortunately, even his presence could not bring a victory to the Furman University Paladins or the Carolina Panthers.

On Saturday, Furman University’s Paladins took on the Wofford College Terriers in a Southern Conference game that, while unsuccessful for the home team, drummed up lots of enthusiasm outside Paladin Stadium in Greenville, SC. “Small colleges do not mean small tailgating,” said the Commish, “Enthusiasm and people arriving early are not limited to large schools.” A few high-tech tailgaters were in the crowd in Greenville, one with a home-designed trailer with a custom, flip-out TV! “People are starting to build their own tailgating vehicles, and it’s great. American ingenuity at its best.”

Joe did lend his expertise to one potential high-tech tailgating mishap, assisting a DIRECTV® customer in adjusting the home satellite dish he had brought so that everyone close by could see the football coverage being broadcast on ESPN. The Commish promptly directed this dedicated high-tech tailgater to www.hightechtailgating.com, to check out the TracVision® A7 from KVH – and save himself some hard labor in the process! Mounting an automatic, in-motion antenna atop the vehicle offers an easier solution than trying to maneuver an unwieldy dish designed to live on the side of your house.

Home satellite dishes were prominent on and around SUVs and pickup trucks among pro football fans as well. Joe reports seeing several of these at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC, (ranked #23 on the National Tailgating Index) as the Carolina Panthers took on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. There were also four or five RVs (in addition to the JoeMobile) sporting low-profile, mobile satellite systems.

Stealing the thunder from live satellite TV in Carolina, were the large, custom BBQ rigs distributing pork shoulder and ribs to masses of hungry tailgaters. Some of these were even painted in team colors, and bedecked with pit masters who could rival the Panthers cheerleaders (at least in enthusiasm, if not in dance ability.) This shines light on a whole new possibility for high-tech tailgating: live TV, live BBQ, custom paint, and intense fans…what could be better? And these vehicles have more than enough roof space for today’s low-profile systems.

As the Commissioner of Tailgating signs off for Week 4 and makes his way to The Meadowlands in NJ (tied for #18 in the Index) for this Sunday’s New York Giants vs. New York Jets game, we can look forward to finding out just how New Yorkers tailgate next week. Until then, we want to know – what’s the craziest high-tech tailgating vehicle you’ve ever seen? Send us your story (and photos!), and see the best of the best right here.

A low-tech approach to high-tech tailgating goes awry

Everyone has their tailgating stories - the person who got lost in the parking lot or mistakenly sat on and crushed a styrofoam cooler or the buddy who insists on throwing a football around and thinks he has the arm of Tom Brady but has all the accuracy of an election night exit poll - you know, the stuff that happens any time a bunch of people get together to have some fun.

Well, Chris Boggs' recent article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his commitment to tailgating led to some interesting tidbits about other peoples' experiences, and one definitely caught our eye about an incident during a University of Virginia at Georgia Tech football game:

We were tailgating over near the IC when our groundskeeping buddy gets the call of a “vehicle fire” in the Van Leer parking lot. We quickly all hop into his gator and haul over, only to catch the fire fighters finishing off the last of a torched Toyota with UVA paraphernalia. The we roll past a lovely Virginia coed scolding her boyfriend…"Tell me again why you put the grill in the trunk!" Apparently, this all-star put a red hot camping grill in her trunk because he "didn’t want anyone to steal it."

Oops! See...that's why you want to go high-tech tailgating with something safe, like a Freedom Grill!

High-tech Tailgating Hits Atlanta

The High-tech Tailgating Tour continues to turn heads as it treks across the South. The TracVision A7-equipped Cadillac Escalade has been logging the miles as it hits TV stations and newspapers in Miami, Tampa, St Petersburg, Orlando and Atlanta – and reporters, producers and local residents have taken notice. In Tampa, CBS 10 traffic reporter Meredyth Censullo donned a Buccaneers shirt to christen the A7 essential for at-stadium celebrations (and decreased traffic stress). In Orlando, NBC 6 consumer reporter Michele Meredith drove all over town in the Escalade getting local residents' reactions to live TV in the car. The consensus? The A7 is a hit – not just at the stadium on Saturday or Sunday but during the weekday carpool, family roadtrip or anytime that kids are in the backseat for longer than a few minutes.

And in Atlanta, Fox 5 "Good Day Atlanta" co-host Mark Hayes opened an entire KVH-suggested tailgating segment sitting in the backseat of the Escalade before exhorting the obvious benefits of tailgating parties that feature live NFL and college game action right in the car. (Mark was less enthusiastic, however, about Atlanta's 28th-place finish in the "America's Best Football Tailgating Cities" Index.)

Mark Hayes (r) interviews a local tailgating gourmet with the High-tech Tailgating Escalade as a great backdrop

Of course, we're never too busy for a little history. Fox 5's traditional Southern Colonial-style studio on Briarcliff Road in Atlanta is located on the former route of Union General William T. Sherman's famous march toward Atlanta during the Civil War. Under Sherman’s immediate command, General O. Howard’s 4th Corps occupied an entrenched camp on the present Fox 5 studio site on July 10, 1864. Studio security guards tell us that Union and Confederate artifacts have been found over the years on this site.

The world's classiest television studio

Tailgating Media Tour Hits the Road in Florida

Our coast-to-coast high-tech tailgating tour, a joint venture of KVH Industries and DIRECTV, kicked off this week to demo the wonders of the TracVision A7 and live mobile DIRECTV programming for tailgating to media across the country.

First stop is the South where the specially equipped KVH Cadillac Escalade is appearing live on TV stations in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina throughout the week. During a live segment Tuesday on FOX 13's “Good Day Tampa,” anchor Russell Rhodes sang the praises of live TV in the car – and discovered why any loyal Buccaneer fan shouldn't be caught at Raymond James Stadium without it. (Rhodes and the rest of the FOX 13 staff were quick to point out that the Bucs are 2-1 after beating the St. Louis Rams on Sunday).

Since the TracVision-equipped Escalade wouldn't fit in the FOX 13 studio...

...the studio came outside to the Escalade

Watch the FOX 13 broadcast here!

Look for the KVH Escalade this week – and equally surprised news and sports anchors – in Miami, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Orlando, Atlanta and Charlotte. Reporters from the Miami Herald, St. Petersburg Times, Orlando Sentinel and other papers also are getting their own personal high-tech demos.

Keep an eye out for TracVision and high-tech tailgating in a major U.S. newspaper near you!

Not surprisingly, due to the popularity of college and NFL football throughout the Sunshine State, Florida ranked high in the “America's Best Football Cities Tailgating Index” – with Miami finishing sixth and Tampa seventh in overall “tailgating friendliness” out of 32 cities evaluated. Don't tell Texas, but those Floridians really know how to high-tech tailgate!

What's black and silver and watched all over?

High-tech tailgating is a coast-to-coast phenomenon. Anywhere you find a team playing, you'll probably find tailgaters and among them, some high-tech aficionados. One of these is Riz Chaudhry, Raiders fan, owner of Chaudhry Custom Sounds of Tracy, CA, and one of the winners of this year's National TracVision Installation Competition. High-tech tailgating lets him multi-task on Sundays – he cheers on the Black & Silver at McAfee Coliseum (#15 on the High-tech Tailgating Index), entertains fellow tailgaters with football on the big screen, and shows off his TracVision-equipped Hummer H2 show car to other prospective tailgaters.

Big screen, big sound, and all the big games on Riz Chaudhry's Hummer H2

This year, his primo tailgating ride attracted some media attention, including the folks from Behind the Shield: Online, a Raiders online news source.

Jeanette Thompson, host of Behind the Shield: Online, interviews tailgaters camped out by the Chaudhrymobile

So just how much of a high-tech tailgating powerhouse is this Hummer H2? Tailgaters never need to miss the pre-game show or the big games thanks to this vehicle's TracVision satellite TV, DIRECTV programming with local channels and network broadcasts, plus a 42-inch LCD TV screen in the back of the vehicle with two additional 15-inch screens, four 9-inch headrest monitors, one 10.2-inch drop-down screen, two 7-inch LCD TVs in the visor, and four more 7-inch screens in the doors.

Remember kids...live satellite TV in the car is for passengers only unless you're parked. If you're driving, keep your eyes on the road!

Excuse me? Where did you say there was a TV screen?

So not only is high-tech tailgating fun, it gives you an opportunity to show off your creativity as well as gets yourself on TV!

"Why, yes, Jeanette. That is a TracVision on the roof behind me."
Riz Chaudhry being interviewed for Behind the Shield: Online.

Tailgating Fans Win when New England Fans’ Loyalty Tested with Simultaneous Pats, Sox Games

New England fans are loyal to a fault. Members of Patriots Nation and Red Sox Nation are, for the most part, one and the same; this region knows no preference between baseball and football, only a fierce camaraderie and undying belief that their teams (the New England Patriots and Boston Red Sox) are the best.

On Sunday, September 16, the ubiquitous “they” in the world of professional sports made a huge oversight in the eyes of these dedicated New England fans – the Patriots/Chargers and Red Sox/Yankees games were scheduled to be played simultaneously. What was a New Englander to do? Missing out on a match-up between legendary baseball rivals, or not being present to cheer on a recently demoralized football team, were out of the question. The solution? High-tech tailgating, of course! Joe Cahn, the Commissioner of Tailgating, was in the parking lot at Gillette Stadium for the Patriots’ tailgating festivities, and reported that most of the TV screens he saw were monitoring both the football pre-game reports and the lead-in to the Red Sox vs. Yankees baseball match-up.

With headquarters at the heart of Patriots and Red Sox Nation, KVH Industries is home to many die-hard Patriots and Red Sox fans. In fact, KVH’s general counsel reported on Monday that she had to rely on a tiny, 5" portable TV for updates from the football game in Foxboro as she cheered for the Red Sox while sitting in the stands at Fenway Park in Boston. However, she was yearning for one of KVH’s TracVision mobile satellite TV systems to catch the live play-by-play in all its crystal-clear, big-screen glory.

Short of cloning and actually attending both games, high-tech tailgating fans had the absolute best seat in the house for cheering both their teams on in very important games this past Sunday. Perhaps if there were more high-tech tailgaters, enabling more fans to practice their dual cheering, there could have been two New England victories instead of just one on Sunday. Something to think about for those who told the Commish they were shopping around before purchasing this year’s tailgating accessories…

Aside from the pre-game reports for the game, what do you watch while you’re tailgating? Let us know!

State of the Parking Lot - Commissioner’s Report on Week 2

We just received our weekly report from Joe Cahn, the Commissioner of Tailgating, who attended two of the most-watched games during Week 2 of the 2007 NFL regular season schedule. Sunday evening, Joe was at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, to see the New England Patriots take on the San Diego Chargers following a week of turmoil in New England. He then started the work week with Philadelphia Eagles fans at Lincoln Financial Field, observing some very unique approaches to tailgating.

High tech tailgaters held center stage in the parking lot at Gillette Stadium (tied for 18th place on the National Tailgating Index) on Sunday, as loyal fans closely monitored pre-game reports on ESPN’s SportsCenter and scoffed at the idea that their team would ever need to cheat. The Pats didn’t disappoint in their first 2007 home game, winning the contest 38-14.

Mobile TV systems also afforded those in the parking lot a chance to keep up with other NFL games in progress and, most importantly for those who reside in Patriots Nation and Red Sox Nation simultaneously, the Boston Red Sox as they took on their legendary rivals, the New York Yankees. Joe Cahn, apparently channeling Bill Belichick ("the greatest coach in NFL history" - Tom Brady), reports that he caught himself filming other tailgaters’ recipes, and that as the Commish, he will assign appropriate caloric penalties to himself. The lobster, clam chowder, and steak served up by his new friends in MA were worth it, he says.

On to Monday Night Football! Joe reports that in the parking lot at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (tied for 10th place on the National Tailgating Index), Eagles fans were getting creative.

With the smell of roast pork wafting through the party (whole hogs are a PA specialty, and Joe reports that the sandwiches were “wonderful”), fans could see a portable party making its way around the parking lot. Golf Cart World, LLC, in Linwood, PA, designed a custom tailgating vehicle for the folks at www.onecrazyfan.com. These Eagles fans tailgated in style in their “E.M.T.: Emergency Mini Tailgater,” complete with its very own grill and cooler. Take a look at onecrazyfan.com’s gallery of Eagles tailgating vehicles, including the E.M.T.

Generally, Joe reports that most tailgaters are still checking out high-tech accessories on other vehicles, deciding on just the right purchase to take them through the season in style. Mobile satellite TV systems, along with several kinds of cooking accessories, appear to be the most popular so far. The Commish is currently on his way to Tampa, FL, to join the party in the parking lot as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the St. Louis Rams on Sunday, September 23.

Tailgating in luxury

OK, here’s one company that’s bringing an element you might not expect to the tailgating scene – limousines! Sure, you see them at concerts, Broadway productions, fancy restaurants and anyplace a wedding party might end up, but tailgating? You bet.

Spurred on by the launch of www.hightechtailgating.com, O’Dell Lewis of Maryland-based Magnum Limo sent us some photos of an ultimate vehicle that his customers have used for tailgating in high style everywhere on the eastern seaboard – New York City, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and even Florida.


This 2006 Dodge Magnum Limo looks amazing, and is equipped with a TracVision A7 mobile satellite TV system from KVH along with 4 flat-screen TVs, a TV in the trunk, and much more.

Hey, ref, that was a horrible call!

If that’s not an illustration of high-class, high-tech pre-game partying, we don’t know what is.

Got to keep warm when tailgating at night!

Have a story or a vehicle to top this one? Contact us to let us know about it. You might just find your story right here!

We're #28! Atlanta fans chime in

Tailgating is a passionate activity. You root for your team, you cheer on the other folks in the parking lot, and everyone has an opinion. That passion is definitely extending to the High-tech Tailgating Index.

It's great to see fans who desperately want an opportunity for some serious high-tech tailgating chime in with their own observations. Take a look at today's post in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. These are passionate fans!

Other folks, of course, are taking it personally or seeing the various rankings as commentary on say, just the quality of BBQ at Kansas City games (excellent, even though KC was #8 in the Index) or the history and dedication of Packers tailgating (#13 in the Index). The High-tech Tailgating Index takes into account all of those things as well as weighs the high-tech aspects (vehicles equipped with mobile satellite TV and NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions, for example) that are increasingly a part of the tailgating lifestyle.

Don't agree with the High-tech Tailgating Index? We want to hear from you! Tell us why you think your favorite venue takes high-tech tailgating to a whole new level. Send us photos of the outstanding vehicles, great grills, and the other high-tech gadgets and gizmos that add to the tailgating experience.

So what do you think?

The news of the tailgating index has definitely started to generate some discussions among tailgaters. While some publications and tailgaters are taking pride in their cities' results, others are clearly aware of the issues in those cities that... well... didn't do so well.

Take Seattle, for example. Great city, great stadium, excellent football team, but tailgating? Not so much. What's surprising is that there isn't that the folks we've heard from in Seattle don't really disagree. We spoke with Mike Brown, host of the evening sports talk show on Seattle's KIRO-AM (the flagship station for the Seahawks) last night prior to a live interview on the show. He didn't find the results surprising at all. "I would have expected the Seahawks to be in the bottom third when it comes to tailgating-friendliness so being last? Not a real shock. UW Husky fans though are great tailgaters." (The Tailgating Index, just to be clear, was only looking at NFL stadiums. For details on how the Index was scored, take a look here.)

Yesterday's immediate response on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's blogs definitely generated some interesting observations from the fans. Today's follow-up in the Seattle P-I blog looks a bit more closely at some the reasons Seattle scored so low.

And based on some of the e-mails that have come in, not everyone agrees with the rankings. But remember, we're talking "high-tech tailgating" and that means the Index takes into account not only the great food and parking lots but also the mobile satellite TV use and subscriptions to DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket.

So what do you think? We want to know. Do you think your NFL venue should have scored higher from a high-tech perspective?

Are you a high-tech tailgater who heads out to NFL or college games but finds only frustration? Or do you have the opportunity to really let loose and enjoy a truly exciting tailgating experience? Let us know here on the blog or by contacting us! Send us your high-tech tailgating pictures. What's the wildest tailgating set-up you've seen?

Let the pre-game festivities begin!

Welcome to the high-tech tailgating blog, or as those of us who enjoy the fun in the parking lot like to think of it, “brats, beer, and satellite TV”! Throughout the season, we’ll be covering the fun of tailgating nationwide because even while we each may have our own favorite teams, tailgating is for everyone and going high-tech while tailgating just makes the experience that much more fun.

To kick things off, we’ve got some early week 1 reports from the road as we spoke with Joe Cahn, the commissioner of tailgating and an avowed high-tech tailgater himself, the day after the NFL got things kicked off with the New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis. Joe attended the pre-game festivities before heading out for a marathon opening weekend, including visits to Purdue, St. Louis (#30 on the national tailgating index), and then on to Cincinnati (#5 on the national tailgating index).

High-tech Tailgating: So how was the tailgating in Indy?

Joe Cahn: Incredible! Indianapolis has probably the best single tailgating group – The Blue Crew. What they did was great under conditions that are very difficult. The new stadium is being built on the old parking lots so there’s no place to tailgate. The Blue Crew found out this was going to happen two years ago and are now renting two parking lots specifically for tailgating! Now most places you go, some people are tailgating, some are just parking and heading in to the stadium but in the Blue Crew parking lots, 100% of the people are tailgating. Plus, the start of the new season was very exciting as they were going to unveil the Super Bowl banner. Just an amazing time!

HTT: So this was the first regular season game. Is there a difference between pre-season tailgating and regular season?

JC: Yes, there’s some difference, with fewer tailgaters or more families in pre-season. Except in Green Bay where tailgating is treated exactly the same way year-round.

HTT: You’re on your way to Purdue. Will you see a difference in tailgating at college games vs. pro football games?

JC: Absolutely. At the college games, you have a community – the campus, students, faculty, alumni, friends of the university, all of them are gathering to root on their specific team. There’s more pageantry and tradition at the college games. At the pro games you have fans representing a broader cross-section of the community.

Number-wise though, you’ll see the same number of people tailgating at pro and college games, especially at the start of the season when hope springs eternal for every team or late October when it cools off but before the winter weather sets in.

HTT: While your tailgating experience with The Blue Crew is a limited sampling, have you noticed anything unusual yet this year? What’s new on the high-tech tailgating front?

JC: I’m seeing more people using small generators so tailgating is definitely getting more “electrical” when it comes to appliances that are being used, such as the sangria fountain that someone set up. Of course, at Indy, winning the championship was a huge deal. Lots of people who couldn’t get tickets still wanted to be part of the event so they were there with big screen TVs and their satellite TV dishes on the vehicles or set up on tripods so they could watch and celebrate with all of the other Colts fans. An absolutely fantastic start to the season.

So what's "high-tech tailgating"?

The tailgate party is now increasingly high-tech to accommodate the demands of sports fans who don't want to miss any action on game day. Taking advantage of technology like the TracVision family of mobile satellite TV systems from KVH Industries and DIRECTV's satellite TV programming allows sports fans to catch televised NFL and college football games along with other sporting events LIVE on the video screens installed in their cars and RVs.

Welcome!

Tailgating - it's the new American pastime. The pre- and post-game tailgate party continues to grow in popularity with American sports fans. Experts expect a 12% increase in tailgating fans this football season and as many as 50 million Americans participating in tailgating in 2007!