Learning the Tradition First Hand

Tailgating is a twelve billion dollar industry. Unbelievable right! And baseball only brings in a mere 7% of that revenue, following concerts, NASCAR racing, and leading the pack, football. Now for some, this fact taken by the American Tailgating Association is no surprise. However for Brewer fans across the state, the thought is absolutely baffling.

I stumbled upon this defining realization after attending the Brewer/Reds series in Cincinnati, Ohio in September 2007. Beautiful open stadium, stunning views of the river and downtown area from the grand stands, and tasty sausages, but the Great American Ball Park was missing one very imperative feature….the all important tailgate. To me, tailgating is part of the ‘package’ when attending a game at Miller Park in Milwaukee. And many, if not all Milwaukee Brewer fans, have the same state of mind.

Of course there is an obvious answer to why Brewers associate tailgating with game days. But let’s pretend to be ignorant for a moment and delve into tailgating a little further, allowing us to get a real sense of its history, and true essence and magnitude of the “tail-greatness” that it is.

What is tailgating? Well…tailgating is a gala affair. It is what sets America apart from countries across the world. It is a time where you will see strangers gather together hours before a game begins, and become chummy friends by the end of the 9th, card tables that are transformed into extravagant dining tables, bratwurst and pasta salads that turn from ordinary foods to flavorful masterpieces (they also hold your game day energy), and beer….with it’s golden color and refreshing, yet bold flavor, never tasted so sweet. That my friend is what tailgating is all about.

There are a number of theories as to where tailgating originated from. Some accredit Ford and its 1927 Model-A Station Wagon with a fold-down tailgate to the beginnings of these magnificent events. That’s right, a true banquet on wheels had evolved….thank you Ford.

My favorite theory states it started in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1919 when the Packers first took the field. Backing their pick-up trucks along the edges of the field, fans would drop their tailgates and relax, drink, eat, and be merry, as they watched the Packers squash their opponents (yes I’m bias—I am a Packer fan after all).

Another theory dates to 1904. A train of private railcars transported Yale fans to the Bulldog’s football game. After pulling into the train station, fans walked the long journey on foot to the stadium. Due to thirst and rumbling bellies upon arriving, fans began packing baskets of food for future games, and so the event was born.

Some believe it dates back to the first college football game played between Rutgers and Princeton in 1869. Fans traveled to the game by horse and carriage, and grilled various meats at the “tail end” of the horse….hence the name.

How about the granddaddy of American tailgating? In 1861, during the height of the Civil War, Union supporters arrived on the edges of the war field at Bull Run, toting food and drink in hand. Apparently they encouraged soldiers by chanting “Go, Big Blue!”

The next origin is accredited to Pirates. Yes, I said Pirates, and I am not referring to the Pittsburg Pirates. The term buccaneer is derived from the Arawak language Buccan, and is a corrupted version of a French word, boucanier, meaning how to smoke meat or bar-b-que (same root word!). Pirates were the first people noted for cooking meat over an open fire, and therefore could indeed fit into the history of tailgating!! Stretching it slightly…I think not.

The most interesting origin pre-dates the other theories by not just decades, but millenniums. Archeological remains have shown that the ancient Greeks hold the title as the Father of Tailgating. Dating to nearly 300 BC, Greeks gathered days before games (and we thought Brewer fans were hard core) for the Olympics or Harpaston, a sporty ancestor of football, where they roasted animals, held sacrifices, and practically drowned in alcohol….which very much resembles modern day tailgating. I know, some of you may be questioning sacrifices as a part of tailgating today, but trust me when I say I’ve seen my fair share of sacrifices…..broken ankles, burning hair, exposed and naked bodies… of course all for the good and well being of the Brewers and their spectators.

Whatever theory you want to believe is fine by me. However, those are just the beginnings. In come the thirties with the invention of electric lighting. This great discovery changed the scheduling of games, allowing not only day games, but evening ones as well now that fields could be lit. However, this took a toll on tailgaters. Rather than freezing in the cool night air, fans began hosting pre-game parties in their homes, and in fact, created Round Robin cocktail hours lasting until game time. Tailgating was no longer a part of game day. Nevertheless, there was a turn around. Thanks to television, tailgating was resurrected, along with it, the hope to be seen on national TV.

So there you have it….the origin(s) of tailgating. Now this brings us back to Milwaukee and tailgating. Why are Milwaukeeans so fanatic about tailgating (me being one of them of course)?

Tailgating in Milwaukee is definitely a tradition that has been passed on from County Stadium, where originally the Milwaukee Braves played, beginning in the 1970s to say the least. And this is just not any tradition, but a historical one at that. The Braves later moved to Atlanta and the Milwaukee Brewers formed, taking over County Stadium.

County Stadium was old, and in 1995, plans for a new stadium were unveiled. When the logistics of the new stadium (Miller Park) were being determined, one of the reasons the stadium location was not built downtown was due to the lack of tailgating space. Definitely a smart decision made by those in charge, obviously realizing the revenue that tailgating generates. Many stadiums have not been as fortunate as ours when considering the construction location and tailgating.

There have even been other stadiums that have lost tailgating not to new location, but a poor decision in turning the main parking lot into a no-tailgating zone, blaming it on too much alcohol consumption….hmmm….absolutely baffling.

Believe it or not, Miller Park came close to this saddening experience. It was discovered a couple of years ago that for the past 25 years, every alcoholic beverage consumed by baseball fans alike at Miller Park was illegal. The oversight was discovered by Milwaukee police after they took over stadium security from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department. Alderman Michael Murphy quickly understood the severity of the situation and within a week, it was brought to the Common Council for vote to correct the situation. I think we all need to send Michael Murphy a big ‘ole “thank you” card!

Personally, I believe we owe an even bigger thank you to Green Bay Packer fans. Although I would love to give the credit to Brewer fans for this innovative pre-party technique, it is unfortunately just not the truth. As Packer fans drifted down to County Stadium for games, so did tailgating ….eventually Milwaukee Brewer fans caught on and inherited their tradition, ultimately turning it into our own. Which gives us a clear understanding why Brewer fans are one of the very few that tailgate for baseball games.

There you have it my friends, the beginning of a fine Milwaukeean tradition. No matter what your beliefs on the beginnings of this great custom are, just remember its great importance. This tradition has been passed from generation to generation, teaching not just through words, but practice. So Milwaukee isn’t one of the theoretical origins. Instead, we took it and made it into something better, something that we all hold so dear to our hearts. What would we do without tailgating? Personally, I could never fathom the idea of attending a baseball game without a tailgating extravaganza.