Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

The game itself was impressive, and extremely loud once the Vols started their comeback.  It's entirely enclosed of course and the sound doesn't escape much.

I asked about where the tailgating was and was told it was scattered around because there wasn't a central area devoted to it.  We'd see 2-3-4 groups here and there, but no mass TGing anywhere I could find.  We were very well treated sitting in a Vol section.

Knoxville is indeed scattered,  dense campus sandwiched by river downtown and busy thoroughfare.  Inside is hot too, since air has nowhere to go.  It was a middle of road SEC experience for me, which puts it well ahead of the turnover chain. 

Does anyone know when "tail gating" really started?  I know circa 1975 or so, some folks would literally park their truck and eat sandwiches to save a few bucks versus eating over priced hot dogs.  When I was in school, there was nothing unusual in the quads or north campus in Athens at all.  Now it's a mass or people.  It's a major part of the GD experience for many.

At Ole Miss, they paid some commercial outfit to come in and set up the tents, TVs, generators, bars, food, chairs, the folks there did nothing at all.  They were extremely nice to us and would not take $20 to help defray anything.  After the game, some of the Ole Miss players showed up and partook so I gather these folks were "connected".  We met two ladies on a street after we parked and asked if we were headed to the stadium, and the invited us to their TG.  They handed us each a bloody Mary before we even met everyone.  They were mostly unconcerned about the outcome of the game, they were going to party hearty no matter what, which is a good attitude for an Ole Miss fan (that day they led UGA 42-0 at one point).

The Grove is indeed worth experiencing IMHO.

Does anyone know when "tail gating" really started?  

I've heard about the "start" being in Green Bay, as early as in their first season. Some say it started at Yale.


I've always wondered too. When did vehicles actually start coming with tailgates?

I vaguely recall pickup trucks at UGA games with a picnic basket in the back circa 1975.  It was really a nothing back then, just saving some money.

It was in parking lots only at the time of course, simple stuff.  I don't remember any of this when I was at UNC.  The frat houses would be out partying in the AM if they were awake yet.  It's fascinating to see how this simple "tradition" has evolved into major productions at some venues.

I suspect for many it would be cheaper to dine at the best restaurant in town before a game.

What is sensational about a list?

Or is it that we can’t stop reading lists, and therefore companies provide us with what we want?

(I mean, I might quibble with the order, but outside No. 10, there are nine generally classic traditions in there. My school’s is not, and I’m super fine with it)

Pretty much answered down below.  The term is "traditions" and yet there are several quite new things on the list, like the Turnover Chain.  And many very old and well established, actual college football traditions, are eschewed.  Clearly an attempt at sensationalism to elicit outrage (or at least consternation  ) amongst fans from various groups.  And also quite obviously in an attempt to generate clicks and, ideally for them, advertising revenue.

As CD said, I don't really consider sports journalists to be real journalists because they're covering entertainment.  But even "real" journalists" and "real" publications, both in traditional print and in modern digital forms, have long been guilty of overly sensational points of view, in an effort to increase circulation, or clicks, or whatever other metric they're using.

Anyway, it's only a silly poll and it's only about sports, but my point is that this is no different than what has gone before.  Only the medium of delivery has changed.