Tailgating, some have said, is a modern-day version of the harvest festival, a community-building ritual with ties to Greek and Roman seasonal celebrations of old.
“It’s one last blowout before we hunker down for winter,” Notre Dame cultural anthropologist John Sherry once told USA Today. Sherry co-authored a study that linked these gridiron get-downs — a national pastime — to storied seasonal fêtes that run leagues deep in human history.
“Football and tailgating are its own culture,” says Eliot Hillis, Orlando Meats culinary director and co-owner. “For those who love it, it’s an important, memorable event, a shared experience.