Football season at IU is referred to as tailgate season as it has more to do with day-drinking than the actual game. Dedicated participants will wake up bright and early on game day for a long day of drinking.
The overly zealous wake up earlier and head to Breakfast Club at our beloved Kilroy’s Bar and Grill on Kirkwood for breakfast food, T-shirts and over-priced mimosas.
Waking up early is already a struggle and standing in line at an ungodly hour in a crowded, smelly bar honestly sounds like my personal hell.
But at what point do tailgates become overrated? It’s an all-day endeavor that leaves anyone who does it right utterly exhausted the rest of the evening. One must be fully committed. And frankly, I am not.
We waste an entire day drinking cheap beer, constantly losing our friends to the masses of drunkards and mooching burgers from strangers. At a certain point in one’s college career, it becomes exhausting and just not worth the energy.
Every Saturday I’ve spent tailgating, I’ve always felt guilty for the time I wasted. Call me lame, but the amount of homework I could have gotten out of the way is sickening.
But alas, Saturday tailgating is where any hope of productivity goes to die.
I realized I’ve reached the point where the fun is not worth the cost. And that fun has recently become unattainable as the crowds of drunken freshmen and packs of girls all wearing the same outfit has become annoying and repetitive.
The fun has been had, and I am ready to move on from it.
Maybe my senior status is a factor, but tailgating is not what it used to be for me.
And think about the money involved. If you got to KOK Breakfast Club, you pay a $5 cover at the door. Then you’ll probably buy a drink or two, so that’s at least another $10.
Then factor in any money you previously spent on a case of beer or food for the tailgate. Add all this to the money you’ll spend later going to Nick’s English Hut to play Sink the Biz to maintain your buzz and gorge on Sink the Biz Fries.
And who knows, maybe you’ll nap and rally, only to return to the bars a few hours later.
Before you know it, all the money in your wallet is gone and so are your motor skills.
I understand the college tradition that tailgating offers. We have Homecoming and Family Weekend where we reunite with old friends and teach our parents drinking games.
In no way am I shaming those who choose to partake in any of these activities during tailgates. I’ve had my fun tailgating, but I think that fun has worn off.
There is a point one can reach where it’s no longer worth the time, money or effort.
And if you’d rather opt out of participation, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
nrowthor@indiana.edu
@nrowthornIU
