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.