I grew up camping in the summer with my family. My father was a Presbyterian minister in the Carolinas. I remember him saying that the advantage of being a minister was that you had more free time. The downside of being a minister was that you didn’t get the money to go anywhere with that extra time. So when we were young, Dad bought a pop-up trailer and we spent most of our summers camping in the South.
Tailgating is a cross between camping and a picnic. You set up camp like you’re going to be there for days, but it’s centered around a meal and a soccer game. Some people don’t have the patience for camping because they see it as too much work for a few hours. But that’s nothing compared to the commitment it takes to keep a close eye on it.
I have friends who have a 35 foot travel trailer that they take to the game every week. They arrive at the stadium mid-morning and settle in. They spread out the caravan awning, take down the table and chairs, prepare all the food, set up the games, and then decorate with flags, banners, etc. The whole experience will last less than 8 hours, so that’s a compromise for you. And when you look at all the food involved, there’s no telling how much time they spent at home preparing before they even left the house.
Tailgating is also not cheap. There is a lot of food involved, as well as the gas it takes to make your RV thirsty. And you can easily pay a hefty amount for an annual parking pass. Time is also money and it takes a lot of time to prepare. But it’s a labor of love, to be sure, whether you’re in Texas or a North Carolina sports fan.
However, the similarities between tailgating and camping are striking. When people go camping, the trip centers around a lake, a mountain, an ocean, or whatever. Tailgating focuses on the game of soccer itself. It’s fun to mingle with your temporary neighbors and shout cheers for your team. And then when it’s all over, he packs up and goes home. Then four days later, you prepare to do it all over again. And they say that in the south there is nothing to do, please!
