Saturdays of Fall

Saturdays during fall can be a great day to just relax, go shopping, or even catch a matinee. But this couldn’t be further from the truth in the South! Down here, working for the weekend isn’t just a mentality, it’s a damn lifestyle. When the whistle blows on late Friday afternoon, people shed their mundane charcoal gray monkey suits for sweatshirts and polos that dawn their teams colors. Whether it’s the phenomenal collaboration of crimson and white or the reprehensible dark blue and burnt orange, the passion is the same none the less. Instead of relaxing and celebrating the end of the work week like most people on Friday night, they are too busy filling up coolers and packing up their game day tents in preparation for the game day festivities to come. Once they have gathered up their kids—who are forced to wear their team’s colors—and strapped them into their seats, they’re ready to hit the road. As they get on the highway, which will ultimately have bumper-to-bumper traffic, they will have plenty of time to view the match-ups in their head. With all the time in the world to think, due to the traffic, there are two thoughts that ultimately have never came racing through their head at any point. “Why do I do this? What do I get out of this?”

Upon coming into town their first instinct is to settle and take over the most abundant pregamming area available. Once the stakes have been planted and the plasma has been hooked up, they are ready to start. They most likely have set up shop next to a friend, fellow alum or at least a fan that sports their same colors. With only two hours until kick off and around eight beers in them, they’re so pumped you would think they’re playing in the game. The quad is blanketed with complete strangers who consider each other a part of the crimson family. As they head to the stadium they can hear the rumble of excitement traveling through the brisk fall air. Once inside the stadium they are immediately reminded of why they go through all the chaos of game day. The stadium shakes during kick off and doesn’t let up; the liquor-filled crowd is unanimous when cheering well-executed plays and booing bad officiating. Once the final second ticks off, the mood of 90 thousand plus fans is solely dependent on what the scoreboard reads. If victorious, there is nonstop chatter and remembrance of the game as the crowd flies out of the stadium like cows being herded. If defeated, you can hear a pin drop during the awkward silences that separates angry boos and regrets. As they leave the game they can’t help themselves from dreaming about the next Saturday to come.

There are plenty of tailgaters and extremists who sure don’t mind spending a pretty penny. The hardcore tailgaters pull up to Bryant Denny Stadium in there moderately priced $200,000 trailer. Some tailgaters rent out apartments or own condos on campus just for fall Saturdays that run from $12,000-$30,000 a year. Not to mention the tickets, which can range from about $100 to $600 a ticket. What is it that drives these people to the state of fan hood that they exist in? Is it purely just the entertainment value or is it more than that? What is inside these unique individuals we call tailgaters? It could be just an absolute love for the game of football, but probably not. Perhaps it’s the feeling of being a part something bigger than one’s self, like a community or a nation. Because everyone likes to feel as though they belong, it’s an identity we can all share. Not only do they root on their team but they root for each other. It’s the shared feeling complete strangers have that can unite them such as the feeling two random strangers get when they high five each other after a successful play. The ability to mutually share the same smile after a heart pounding victory, as well as mourning together after a heart breaking loss. It also may be that were all living vicariously through our team, since we can’t all be world-class athletes. Or maybe it’s a fear of getting old that brings alum back to campus on Saturday; to practice the rituals they once did as young faced adolescents.

Tailgating, if anything is affirmative, is a celebration that unites and pulls us together before kickoff. Support of the tide is the very fabric which holds all 100,000 plus people together on those fall Saturdays. Being a fan is something we all share on Saturday afternoons. It’s us versus them. On game day you can always break the ice with a fellow fan by just simply saying “Roll Tide”. It’s not hard to understand the passion of tailgaters, because no matter how mundane are lives are we will always celebrate those game days by being champions on the fall.