You ask, we listen. There’s an image: Rowdie, the Indianapolis baseball mascot. He doesn’t spend enough time down the right field line. Otherwise, a solid fellow. Brandon, what do you have?

The greatest joy: tailgating

We’re in the dog days of summer – I know that, I do – but every once in a while, the wind will blow a certain way and give off a hint of crispness that makes me think of fall. Which makes me think of tailgating, which makes my eyes roll back in my head with excitement. Oh my good god do I enjoy a good tailgating session. One of my favorites things on the world, actually.

Owing to my roommate Norm, once in the U’s doctorate program but now proud owner of a PhD (at 26 years old), my pals and I have been student season ticket holders for Gophers football the past two years. In those two years, I have been inside the Metrodome for a total of three quarters. The only game we got into before halftime, I spilled an entire beer on the stranger next to me and his date; when I tried to buy him a beer for the trouble, I was told I was cut off. It was 3 in the afternoon.

Stories like this abound.

It’s not just the drinking that makes me enjoy tailgating so much, though consumption is the cornerstone of the tradition. It’s the yard games in the parking lot, the grilling of food, the loud music, the insanity of the kids around us, the bonding of friends, the – have I mentioned the drinking? I love it. Can’t get enough of it. Counting down the days to the first Gopher home game. Wish we could do it every weekend.

Sadly, however, our tailgating tradition is in jeopardy. After this season, the Gophers will move out of the Metrodome and out of our price range. What do we do then? Fork over the cash for upper-deckers? Single game tix? Another idea: on a scale of 1-10, how pathetic would it be for a group of late twentysomethings to tailgate without tickets to the game? Be honest. I can take it. Probably.

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