Do a search for “the Art of tailgating” on Google and see what you find?  

http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/2010/the-art-of-tailgating-with-no-intention-of-going-to-the-game/

http://www.michaelocean.com/sesquipedalian/The_Art_of_Tailgating.html

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/11/5/1796254/the-tailgate-party-a-brief-history

http://www.hogmonster.com/tailgating/

http://www.bravotv.com/top-chef-masters/season-2/tailgating

Those are just a few of them and there were so many I couldn’t do it justice here.

I knew it was big but from the looks of the results it has now expanded beyond NASCAR and Football.  It has now evolved into TV shows about the food and fun and competition for all parts of the  “Tailgating” exercise.  Big time sales for “special” cookers to Special equipment that you can set up and watch the game inside the stadium and never leave the tailgate outside the stadium.  In fact several links I found discuss those that Go just for the Tailgate with no intention of attending the event that draws that crowds in the first place?  What is up with that?

Of course you will find that “Tailgating” is now big business and even Walmart promotes it in the stores during the fall.  What next?  Will Tailgating move to other venues?  I know there is some at baseball games but not in the gross multitude that you find in the Fall at football or Spring at NASCAR but maybe it (Tailgating) should expand to cover year around sports beyond NASCAR and Football?  

The logical progression is that it will be common to attend the tailgate before going in to the kids swim or skating meets?  Maybe it should be included in the Olympics as a sporting event?

It is a social event that has now eclipsed the “block party” and “Backyard cookout”.  It has combined those into a traveling road show that if we could find a way to harness the shear energy it creates we might be able to solve all the troubles of the world.  AT least that is what I hear at most tailgates I have been to, they are busy solving all the problems of the teams associated, the politics of  the nation, Global Climate Change, National Energy Policy, and all other matter of social or political issues.  Why at the last event I attended before mid-term elections even the politicians were deeply involved in the art of attending and “glad-handing”.  Below is a bit calmer article copy about Tailgating.  I disagree with some of the statements as it has moved beyond what was written here.  The basics are right but the ages have expanded the participation is expanding, it is a growing phenomenon that has nearly eclipsed the sports that draw it.  – WD0AJG

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. Kids are going back to school, the cooler weather is setting in, leaves are falling, and of course there is the mounting excitement of football games and tailgate parties.

Tailgating is fast becoming an American tradition, and although it is big at NASCAR and other sporting events, has attained a true art form within the reaches of footballs fans.

Many, who may not even hold a ticket to the game, open their tailgates, fire up their grills, and prop their televisions to watch and react to the play-by-plays of the game. The excitement is rampant – good-natured heckling of the other team’s fans, the aroma of steaks, ribs and assorted grilled and baked goods wafting in the air, a snap of the football among the fans, and an air of camaraderie and excitement only matched within the stadium walls.

Acres of parking lots and open fields at or near stadiums are lined with colored tents, cars, trucks, and RVs flooded with decals, bumper stickers and team flags. Some fans have driven hours to follow their team, and come dressed in a wide range of regalia to show their support – from the basic team t-shirt and stadium jackets with logos to full war paint and mascot costume. Over the years, cliques have formed amongst the throngs, and some have become part of an extended family that extends beyond the season.

Although tailgating can be a family event, the majority of participants are male college graduates between the ages of 22-44. Most live within an hour of their favorite team, and attend from 6-10 parties a season. Some people come as early as Thursday to set up, and start cooking for a Saturday afternoon’s game, and hundreds of dollars a season is spent on various food and paraphernalia. People considered “normal” during the workweek are unrecognizable at a tailgate party. Restrained behavior is tossed aside as easily as a pigskin for a football afternoon.

If you have ever attended a tailgate event you will be amazed at the contraptions that people have hooked up or mounted to their vehicles to make them tailgate-friendly. You can only imagine the amount of money and time spent thinking up creative ways to transport grills and seating. Some have even set up their area to look like a living room, complete with couch and television – remotes are standard.

For a real thrill, without the stifling close seating of the stadium itself, and more than twice the fun, you have to experience the tailgate phenomenon for yourself. It’s an experience you will never forget – and it could be addictive.