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.