College > Pro: Tailgating

So we all know you'll be getting gumbo at LSU and all the girls at Ole Miss will be in heels and pearls. South Carolina has that train thing, Tennessee has the Vol Navy, and Alabama has its infamous RV park. And, down South at least, it's imminently social. Each party is guaranteed to have a tv or two (or five) tuned to the day's games. Even opposing fans can wander through, check the scores, share some grub, and swap stories of games past. I loathe social interaction, yet I enjoy wandering through the mini-cities that spring up and take pleasure in the camaraderie of fandom.

It should also be mentioned college tailgaters have a preferable environment. Unlike pro stadiums that are plopped in and around major cities where everything is closed to tourist/fans on account of it being a weekend, college stadiums occupy space in the midst of campuses that open up for visitors on gameday. Arrive early to 1) get a parking space, 2) soak up the atmosphere, and 3) take advantage of the cultural offerings. College campuses are packed with sculptures, libraries, and museums to wander through and appreciate in the hours before kick off. Many even offer gameday lectures, or rather fun talks given by professors on subjects simultaneously interesting and enlightening.

Then there are the pep band performances, parades, mascots, and spiritful (not slutty) cheerleaders performing across the campus, bringing the anticipation to practically unbearable levels. That anticipation builds through the pre-game activities, the on field band performances that begin minutes before kick off, and reach apogee as the team runs through the tunnel. Whatever entrance your team chooses, whether running through a formation or down a hill or to a piped in pop song, no excitement compares to the primal cheers of a hundred thousand hopeful enthusiasts. It's a release, a collective orgasm of energy.

Though there is a similarity in structure that runs through the campuses, each is distinctive. Even if the entire fan base came dressed like mimes, no one is going to confuse being at a Notre Dame game with being at a Florida game. The experiences are utterly different.

NFL tailgating, on the other hand, is interchangeable, one parking lot just like the next, with only the only distinguishing characteristic being team colors.