Tailgaters pay homage to football gods

By Jennifer Brett

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If football were a religion, then ...wait. Let’s start again.

Since football is a religion here in the South, tailgating is a sacrament and Ryan Scates is an acolyte. The smack of the tackle, the muscular sound of marching bands, the bleating whistles — the game, in other words — are but some of the rites observed on fall Saturdays by the Athens faithful.

“We begin preparing for the tailgates in late July,” said Scates, a diligent Sigma Phi Epsilon from Kennesaw. “There is no orange involved, no live animals (unless Uga VII or an Auburn fan shows up) and no jean shorts. Only Florida fans wear jean shorts.”

So what is there?

“Lots of beautiful girls in sundresses, ridiculous-looking guys in red pants, alumni and parents with satellite dishes hooked up to their tailgate TVs,” explained Scates, a 21-year-old senior who is studying speech communication and political science. “Tailgating is a blast.”

Neither current students nor the Bulldog Nation may claim exclusive tailgating bragging rights, of course. Campuses across Georgia become one huge picnic table this time of year, outfitted with grills, campers, and even flat-screen televisions and satellite dishes — but the competition stays on the field.

Uh, right?

“Like football, tailgating is extremely competitive,” corrected Stacey Gavalas, a self-described “displaced Gator fan” in Buckhead who works as a financial audit analyst.

“Gators tailgate ceremoniously, as an offering for blessings in the game ahead,” Gavalas said. “We hold ourselves personally liable for our seven-layer dips and obscure Tebow trivia knowledge.”

Oh, and that Georgia smack about jean shorts? Bring it.

“My personal fave on Saturday are boys wearing a nice pair of embroidered jorts,” she said. “When you’re No. 1 and have been No. 1 so often, you can wear whatever you want.”

In other words, CHOMP.

Auburn gal Kristin Wallace, a corporate communications manager for Sprint in Atlanta, had only sweet things to say about tailgating, genteelly asserting superiority.

“Auburn has one of the most beautiful campuses in the SEC, with grassy spots, trees and brick walkways which are perfect for tailgating,” declared Wallace, who’s been setting up with the same group of friends since graduating in 1992. “It is fun to reconnect with my sorority sisters and their families. And now our kids are forming friendships.”

A Pi Beta Phi at Auburn, Wallace now lives in west Cobb and described a formidable haul on game days.

“We have tents, flags, a flat-screen TV with satellite reception, a grill, great food, drink and, most importantly, good friends.”

Vu Pham and his buddies set up a similar compound before Georgia Tech home games. The 2000 computer science grad says cheering on the Yellow Jackets sometimes involves bunking at the North Avenue Campgrounds overnight before game day. His gear typically includes cornhole boards, ladder golf and lawn darts, at least a couple of grills and a smoker, a keg or two, two flat-screen TVs and a satellite dish for crisp reception.

The spread is usually themed around that week’s opponent. Last Saturday, they grilled up Jacksonville State Gamecocks (OK, so it was actually chicken).

“My friends and I have been tailgating in the same location since the 2002 season,” said Pham, who lives in Grant Park and works for a digital marketing agency in Midtown. “It started out as three of us and a handful of friends and family, but every year, we seem to have more and more people joining us. For some of the big games, we’ll have over 100 people tailgating in our group. We have such a fun time, it’s usually a shame that we actually have a football game to go to.”