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