I've been wanting to write something about this for a few weeks now and just never got around to it. I started writing this and concluded that I was going to have to split this into a two or three parts series to tell the whole story, so here goes Part 1.
Throughout the years, with being in the Army, I have the chance to travel all over the world and more importantly, all over the United States. I have been able to observe and participate in tailgates in the PAC-10, BIG 12, WAC, Mountain West, ACC, Big 10 and the Big East in addition to my home in the SEC throughout those years. I'm here to tell you folks, no one does it quite like we do in the SEC. Having that been said, I have been pretty impressed with an elite few from other conferences. For example, when Bama played Iowa State a few years ago in the Independence Bowl down in Shreveport, they had several groups of fans that drove down in converted school buses. They had taken these "yella dogs" as we like to call 'em back home and converted these things into tailgating machines. One even had astro turf and goal posts on the top of it with tornado sirens (they are the Cyclones), and a built in grill and kegerators in the back. These guys were definitely dedicated but like I said, they were the few. One day, I'd like to be able to get to some places like Ann Arbor, MI or Columbus, OH or South Bend, IN to see how they do it on campus there but until I do, I'll have to base what I know on what I have seen on how well these teams travel and I can say this....no one travels like we do in the SEC. To kickoff the season in 2000, Bama played UCLA in Rose Bowl stadium. When we showed up for the game, the Bama fans actually outnumbered the UCLA fans and it was their home game! When football starts in the SEC, it is almost like mass movements of towns. The weekly movement of RVs and campers from campus to campus, state to state is just amazing to see and if you happen to catch these convoys moving down the interstate it's something to behold. I remember growing up and going to Bama games (and yes, even Auburn games with my childhood best friend and his family) and throughout the years, as your memory starts to fade, you might remember the final score or some keys plays from the games but you never forget the times that you had at the tailgates and the people you met in the process.
It's awesome to look back on some of these experiences and the people you meet. I've been fortunate to interact with fans from some of the more traditional football powers in the country like Oklahoma, Texas, Penn State, UCLA, etc. and one thing that they always seem to compliment us on is how nice they are received when they come to our place and how nice it is to be able to interact with people who genuinely have a love and a knowledge of the game. I think that is what sets the SEC apart. For the most part, our fans are very knowledgeable about the game and can actually sit together and have a educated conversation about the teams that we love. It's that love and understanding of this game that gives us not only a pride in our team but also a pride in our conference. That's why at the end of the season when we are at bowl games competing against teams from other conferences, it's not our school cheers that are the first things out of our mouth when we have clinched a victory. It's SEC-SEC-SEC! It's that pride in our conference that makes everything special. We don't just show up for the social aspect of tailgating. For us, it's almost like foreplay...for lack of a better term. It's the precursor to the main event but if you are gonna do...do it right!
With that said some Universities have made things a little harder on the hardcore tailgaters and have turned it into a business opportunity, to include my beloved Alma Mater the University of Alabama. When I was in college at Bama, I remember walking to class during football season and if there was a home game that weekend, those mass movements of RVs and campers began moving in on Wednesday to some of the lots just off campus. Back then, it was first come, first served....no rental fees required. Every Thursday and Friday morning, I would vary my walking route just a bit just so I could walk through the small village that popped up over night because I was assured that I would be offered breakfast by some family that was out cooking it up. It never missed and this poor college kid never went hungry during football season and didn't have to resort to ramen noodles. These days, many Universities in the SEC actually charge the RVers a season fee for them to be able to park their RV in an approved lot for the season. The sad thing is, that most of these lots have moved to the outskirts of campus and the current students, at Bama at least, don't get that same experience that I did when I was a student there and aren't able to build those friendships and bonds with some of the older alumni and fans before the hectic hours leading up to the game. The University of Alabama has even regulated tailgating on campus, putting certain areas off limits and actually making you pay to set up your spot in certain areas of campus like the Quad. When this happened a few years ago, some friends of mine, and fellow classmates at the University resorted to drastic measures. Come back for Part 2 tomorrow to see what those drastic measures were.
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