Where I come from: Tailgating the Illini at Memorial Stadium

This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011

Football is an event. A once a week opportunity to set aside the rest of the world and completely indulge the excesses of food, drink and sport. football is a true all day activity, from waking up at the crack of dawn to drive to your parking spot, to waiting around an extra hour our two with the grill after the game. The weather can range from Eastern Illinois hot, to Fresno State cold, but the traditions of the tailgater must be upheld.

For me, there are several ingredients that are necessary for me as a fan to prepare for an Illini home game. (I absolutely do not drink if I am going to be in the press-box...obviously) Food, drink, entertainment and transportation and good company are indispensable when one wants to truly enjoy their time before the Illini game. If done correctly it won't matter if you are in Lot 42 with the RV crowd and party tents, or  Lot E27, next to the Oak Street long term Book Storage facility, you will still have an great gameday.

First off you will need adequate transportation. For me, it is my most prized possession, my 2007 Dodge Caliber

With seating available for 5 and a hatchback gate to hold all of my necessary supplies, this miracle of American automotive engineering is the perfect tailgate machine for my purposes. Luckily for me,  the car also comes equipped with a designated driving fiance, who has always allowed me to enjoy my sports without worry. This last feature is of course of the utmost importance when the next ingredient is added.

Beverage.

For football season, only beer will do. (well maybe soda for you young'ins) If the game is played in September or even August any light tasting lager will do, in October Oktoberfest Marzen beers are plentiful, but for the college student living from dining hall paycheck to paycheck, there really is only one option.

Your standard beer pong table is 10 to 12 feet long, with area enough for 10 standard plastic cups to be placed on either end. This of course provides for both the beverage aspect of tailgating and even some of the entertainment.

Overall though, the entertainment should be inclusive, competitive and fun for everyone, which is probably why bags has become the game of choice for college football fans around the country.  The rules are simple, 1 point for a bag on the board, 3 for a bag in the hole, scores cancel out and the first team to 21 wins. You will likely see a great many people playing this game around Memorial Stadium  this fall, with fancy plastic pre-made boards with sleek paint jobs, and  bean bags filled with plastic bb's, but these people do not know the true joy of bags, making a set of your own.
Sure you don't have a great deal of background in engineering, painting, or even carpentry. And no you don't have a power drill  strong enough to drive a screw through Styrofoam, and you had no other choice than to make the holes freehand with an electric jigsaw, but the joy you can take from throwing a cloth bag of corn kernels into an irregularly shaped hole on a poorly constructed board is irreplaceable.

Next of course. comes the food. Many people will over complicate this step with elaborate BBQ projects that require hours of work and even more  even more attention. Since I am much more often interested in the previous two aspects of tailgating this is not for me. I personally enjoy any meat that I can simply  put on my tiny Smokin' Joe grill and eat when it is done.  Hot dogs, bratwurst, burgers, Italian sausage, Polish sausage,  one of those huge Pepperidge Farm meats, whatever it is, for me I just want it to taste good with mustard and have it go well with beer.

The final and most crucial ingredient of all is the people with whom you tailgate. having the best beer, the largest RV, and the most elaborate selection of meats and cheeses will matter very little if you have no one to enjoy them with. And with tailgating, the rule of the day should always be the more the merrier, bring as many people as you can along and invite more when you get there. It is a party after all. And when you are all partied out from tailgating, it's time to move on to the big one, the party with 60,000 of your closest friends.

I'm an Illini fan, and this is where I come from.