It's about that time, Hoosiers: get out your favorite tailgating tanks, red lipstick, and red solo cups because it's tailgating season.
Indiana may be a basketball school, but that doesn't mean we don't celebrate football the right way. Starting bright and early Saturday morning, Hoosiers went to the tailgating fields, set up camp in the stadium parking lot, and cheered on our boys as we prepared to play against Ball State. Up and down 17th street, Corn Hole was being played on numerous patches of grass, beer-pong played on front porches of houses, and there was music blaring from all directions. Did anyone else see the "You Honk, We Drink" house?
One aspect of tailgating that never changes from year to year is the alumni participation. Tents are set up, cars are parked filling up every parking spot at the stadium to bring together alumni and their children who are now following in their footsteps as Hoosiers. It gives us students a lot of pride knowing that even 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years down the road, we will all still be as eager to celebrate Hoosier Nation as we are now.
If you've never been to a Hoosier tailgate before, there are sure ways to spot if a game is that day: game traffic three miles out from the stadium in all directions will be bumper to bumper. If you can walk, do it (this is also your best option if you plan on enjoying tailgate beverages); Tracks or any of the IU gear stores on Kirkwood are flooded with students stocking up on apparel and tailgate shirts (like my personal favorite: "If you're reading this I'm already gone" tank); the smell of grilling hamburgers/hotdogs is in the air —those alum are serious about their burgers; and finally, game day photos.
Tailgating starts early in the morning, hours before the game begins, and continues into the evening during game time, with the announcer's voice coming out of every car's radio. Going to the game isn't absolutely necessary, and sometimes it's not even a possibility.
The difference between tailgating at some schools and tailgating at Indiana University is the level of excitement that comes with the anticipation of football season. The campus is huge, and you run into new people every day, but there's something about game day that brings all the Hoosiers together.
Fall is well known for pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin patches, and haunted houses, but for Indiana University fans it means another season celebrating our football team on Saturdays, whether it's by tailgating, attending the games, or just wearing cream and crimson.
