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.
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High-Tech Tailgating has just begun and it will continue to grow. Evironmetally friendly is new to the game as well. At www.thetailgatingpros.com there is information on a new product to light your charcoal without petrochemicals. There are other high tech products that can be seen as well.
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