Feature: Tales from the parking lot - September 2007  

Tailgating has been heralded as a much-loved American pastime. Not to be confused with the practice of driving too close to a vehicle ahead, this format of tailgating consists of sports fans gathering prior to and after sports events for an impromptu party. Experts expect a 12% increase in tailgating fans during the 2007-08 American Football season and as many as 50m Americans participating in tailgating in 2007. Once as simple as throwing a six-pack in the backseat on the way to the game, tailgating is fast becoming an industry, with major manufacturers eager to tap into a passionate - and relatively affluent - demographic. S&T looks at how technology is playing a role in all this……..

Baltimore, a US city esteemed for its crab houses, Inner Harbour, and home of one of the NFL's most rugged defences, now has another claim to fame: it's the best American Football tailgating city in the country.
After analysing a host of criteria, including stadium parking lots, overall tailgating environment, tailgating-fan enthusiasm and the sales of tailgating accessories like in-car live TV systems and mobile programming, an alliance of tailgating experts has released for the first time the America's Best Football Tailgating Cities Index, a ranking of the ‘tailgating- friendliness’ of the 31 US cities with an NFL team plus NFL-hopeful Los Angeles.
The index is a joint effort between KVH Industries, the leading manufacturer of live mobile satellite TV systems for cars, RVs and boats in the US; DIRECTV, a leading satellite TV service provider; and a group of tailgating experts who have personally visited and ranked every NFL stadium, including Joe Cahn, a nationally recognised authority on tailgating.

Watching on the move

"We've found tailgating to be one of the most popular applications of our TracVision in-car satellite TV systems, which allow fans to watch DIRECTV sports and other programming live in their boats, planes, and passenger vehicles," explained Jim Dodez, vice president of marketing and strategic development at KVH Industries. "As part of our ongoing marketing research, we developed a ranking of the best tailgating cities and decided to share it with the public. Certainly, the die-hard tailgating fans who go out of their way to follow their team deserve a little recognition."
The index ranks the "tailgating-friendliness" of the 31 US cities with an NFL franchise, and Los Angeles. Cities were ranked on the basis of the overall tailgating environment in each city, as measured by an evaluation of stadium parking lot sizes, fees, accessibility, hours of operation and special facilities and programmes for tailgaters; the sale of DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket packages and TracVision mobile satellite TV systems for cars and RVs by KVH Industries in 2006-2007; and tailgating impressions accumulated through personal visits to NFL and college football stadiums by Joe Cahn, the self-proclaimed ‘Commissioner of Tailgating’, and Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell of ‘The Ultimate Sports Road Trip’.
Baltimore's top ranking is attributed to its high scores in all four categories while Tampa, Miami and Buffalo benefited from high tailgating expert ratings, and superior stadium or parking facilities boosted Denver, Houston and Cincinnati. Ongoing construction of the Meadowlands Xanadu and Patriots Place projects limited the scores of New York and Boston, respectively, while parking or tailgating restrictions in Green Bay, Chicago, Detroit, and Seattle similarly affected their tailgating scores. In Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Rose Bowl were used for evaluation.

The perfect stadium experience

"As the recognised leader in sports programming - airing an average of more than 3,000 sporting events every year - DIRECTV has its finger on the pulse of sports fans," said Daren Benzi, vice president of sales development and strategy for DIRECTV. "When you combine this commitment to sports programming with new mobile technology that brings live game action right into the car's back seat and rear tailgate, the result is the perfect stadium TV experience for tailgating fans."
Joe Cahn, a professional tailgater who has spent the past 11 years visiting NFL and college football stadiums to assemble a comprehensive library of tailgating information for sports fans, was a natural choice to help KVH Industries and DIRECTV identify the best tailgating cities in the country. New York residents Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell likewise have spent more than nine years documenting their visits to every NFL and most college stadiums for their popular sports fan blog site.
“I've used a KVH TracVision antenna on my motorcoach for years and love it, so when they approached me about using my research to help them identify the best tailgating cities, I was glad to help," explained Cahn. "As some of the most devoted and passionate fans in sports, the army of tailgaters that assemble each weekend contribute significantly to the unique personality and character of each city."
In 2007, the NFL angered many football fans by banning tailgating at Super Bowl XLI in Miami. They cited security risks, though many suspected it had more to do with corporate sponsored events than any real threat.

The index

 1. Baltimore                   17. Nashville, Tenn.
 2. Denver                      18. New York (tied)
 3. Houston                    18. Pittsburgh (tied)
 4. San Diego                  18. Boston (tied)
 5. Cincinnati                   21. San Francisco
 6. Miami                        22. Cleveland
 7. Tampa, Fla.                23. Charlotte, N.C.
 8. Kansas City, Mo.         24. Los Angeles
 9. Buffalo, N.Y.               25. Minneapolis
 10. Philadelphia (tied)     26. Dallas
 10. Phoenix (tied)           27. Chicago
 12. Washington, D.C.      28. Atlanta
 13. Green Bay, Wisc.       29. New Orleans, La.
 14. Jacksonville, Fla.       30. St. Louis
 15. Oakland                   31. Detroit
 16. Indianapolis             32. Seattle

(Steve McNair from the Baltimore Ravens pictured right courtesy of Getty Images Sport/Scott Boehm)

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