Are You Ready for Football?
by Jay DiEugenio
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Of Tailgater Monthly Magazine
As I sit here in an early morning of a late June gloom, I can't help but feel the overwhelming and intense jitters that come along with football season. With every new year comes a fresh outlook for fans and their teams. Whether you're a diehard Miami fan or you jumped on the Giants band wagon or you fell for the Green Bay Bumble, hope and pride swell in anticipation of that fateful morning of the first home opener, when you will arrive three hours before the lot opens to one of eight annual life-changing experiences - The Tailgate Party!
This is my favorite time of year. My new gear is coming in, new recipes are being developed, a new outlook on my home team. Phone calls are being answered and dialed day and night, all to plan and coordinate the upcoming tailgate season. What is it about football that makes tailgating - Tailgating?
Is it the food?
Yep, without a doubt! Food is the quintessential part of tailgating that brings everyone together. Whether you're waiting for those perfect pierogies in Pittsburgh, the barbecued ribs in Kansas City, the salmon in Seattle, the spicy birria in SoCal or the bold brats in Chicago, the food is what makes the tailgate! Planning the menu and testing the recipes this summer is when the tears begin to well up - and not because I'm cutting onions, either. But instead because good food welcomes and entices people to fully experience their surroundings. Beef Wellington served off the grill at a New York Giants tailgate the week after Wellington Mara died brought the whole lot to a surreal state - we were all celebrating the life of one of the founders of the NFL through the food we shared. When the tailgaters serve Roasted Leg of Ram when St Louis visits or Golden Brown Charlie Fryed Potatoes for Cleveland or Stuffed Seahawk for Seattle, the lot transforms into a spirited and faithful band of fanatical fans. All the camaraderie and friendship is only enhanced by some great food.
Is it the other people?
Sure thing. Tailgating is the greatest way to start a conversation with a new friend - or even an old one. Walking through the lots and being part of everyone's tailgate is like making a house your home. You get to know the people in your tailgate neighborhood. They become friends by the end of the first tailgate party and family by the second. The blacktop is where you can forgo your worries and share life with others. It is the pride and sense of belonging to a special something that will always be there. It is the same feeling that built this great country that we live in today. To come together in good times and bad, in sunshine and blizzards, in winning seasons and blowouts makes tailgaters the family they are. You can travel across this country to any stadium parking lot and find your family. They might tease and razz you a bit for being a Detroit fan, but they will always welcome you into their home with open grills.
Is it the toys?
Of course. Everyone likes new toys for tailgating. Whether you buy it or make it, the new addition to the tailgate party is always a great way to start the season. Not that you need to get any more excited than you already are, but everyone wants to make that cool addition. I love the homemade bars and radical rigs, the custom painted grills and cool set-ups. There is just so much to talk about over that early morning Bloody Mary being poured on that brand new custom bar you spent the summer building. To walk into the tricked out bus and see the living history and enthusiasm built into it by hand warms the blood - although that could just be the Bloody Mary. In my book, the more over-the-top, the better. You got a portable four compartment propane deep fryer that heats the oil to 400 degrees in 4.2 seconds! What do you cook in that? Anything that fits! Just being able to see, feel and experience all the cool gadgets, little or big, creates a wave of excitement that rolls through the lot, energizing us all.
Is it the football?
Ummm, let me think - YEAH! What is it about NFL football that seems to electrify this country? Of course people tailgate for lots of events, but what makes it magic with football? I don't know, maybe it's the crack of the kickoff, or the loud roar of the crowd when the home team scores, or the hope that your team brings to their city and its people. Maybe it's the weekly battle with the elements, or the taste of a cold beer on a crisp Autumn morning. Maybe for some it's everything. You only get eight home games a year in the NFL. And, for those eight days, the fans belong to something that can bring an entire city to new beginnings. We get that fresh hope of victory, that feeling of a challenge, the 'what if' that seems to linger each and every week. It is the American Dream. As fans we band together for a few hours each game and accomplish something great. That is what excites me about football.
Rolling into the lot early in the morning, the crisp air steams your breath as you welcome a friend you haven't seen since the last tailgate party and starts the entire day off on the right step. The rituals begin; the first Bloody Mary, lighting the grill, raising the flag. Soon the set-up is all set-up, the grills are grilling and the tailgate party is partying!
Hearing the voices of JB, Howie, Terry and whoever happens to be with them this year, booming over the satellite equipped televisions on every aisle sends tingles down the spine. You freeze for a moment and wait for them to mention your team. When they project your team will win, the crowd cheers, and begins to foam at the mouth. Drinks start flowing and Red-Cup Salutes are given throughout the lot. When the report comes in that your team is expected to tank, the crowd boos, and begins to foam at the mouth. Drinks start flowing and Red-Cup Salutes are given throughout the lot to discount the so-called experts and their ridiculous prognostication. Either way, tailgating becomes alive.
And Monday Night Football... need I say more? MNF is by far the best thing about football season. The legends alone that made MNF can start the heart pumping faster. Howard Cosell, Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, Fran Tarkenton, Dan Dierdorf, Dan Fouts, and a handful of others. MNF commentary will never match Al Michaels and John Madden. This is where legends live.
The "Monday Night Massacre" in 2005 when the Seahawks beat the Eagles 42-0 in a record-breaking game. The prestige of being chosen by the NFL to host - or even just play - in a Monday Night game creates an excitement like no other. So much history and so many memories (both good and disappointing) create that sense of obligation to faithfully watch MNF - even if your team isn't playing. And what's better, the Monday night and Sunday night games allow the tailgate party to start in the morning and go on through three meals, two snacks and a nap. This is marathon tailgating because this is football baby, and we'll never get enough.
This year in football season will be a great one for tailgating fans. Colts fans have a new stadium, Lucas Field, that they'll be breaking in as their team tries to bring back the Lombardi Trophy from their impressive victory two years ago over the Bears. Indianapolis is actually hosting the Bear's in this year's first Sunday night matchup. This rematch of Super Bowl XLI in Miami, played in a brand new stadium, should bring the typical season starting hum to an overwhelming buzz.
As last year's Super Bowl XLII winners, the Giants will be hosting the first game of the season on a Thursday night against the Redskins. Still riding high on a wave of that unmistakable New York pride, you can bet that Giants fans will be pulling out all the stops to make that tailgate over the top.
But do they really deserve to host the first game of the year over the undefeated New England Patriots? Or should New England (in spite of the cheating accusation), after having a perfect season and absolutely dominating the playoffs, have the privilege of hosting the first game of the season? After all, it is only recently that the Super Bowl winner has hosted the first regular season game.
Regardless, it's guaranteed that New England will still be feeling the sting of their unexpected loss to the Giants, but if I know Pats fans that won't stop them from bustin' out the chowder and quahogs.
Dallas and both New York teams are just one more year away from the opening of their new stadiums, and tailgaters at the Meadowlands will continue to face parking problems this season as a result. Limited parking during construction has forced a permit only policy, which has been a huge adjustment for both Giants and Jets fans.
Opening weekend's Monday night will be a double header with two of the NFL's best rivalries - Minnesota at Green Bay and Denver at Oakland. The tailgating in Green Bay will be off-the-hook as Vikings fans will surely invade.
And that's just all week one in the NFL. Week two holds a couple more incredible match-ups. Philly will be in Dallas, and I'm looking forward to tailgating in the Muni Lot again for Pittsburgh at Cleveland. You just can't find fans more passionate about their teams. The courage that it takes to walk through the Dawg Pound's tailgate turf dressed in black and gold - or maybe it's just stupidity!
Yeah, this season is going to be one of the best ever, especially when my Seahawks will be playing in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa. What a great place to have the game of all games. This year in football, it's gonna be a good one. I can hardly wait. I'm excited to see old friends, make new ones, tailgate at a brand new stadium, share my food, eat yours, and become part of the family all over again.
Click Here for Complimentary Digital Edition
Of Tailgater Monthly Magazine
