Ask DCist: College Basketball Tailgating
A faithful reader writes in: Last year, the men's basketball team at GMU made the final four. This year, the team should see a lot more interest from alumni like me. Any idea if people tailgate before basketball games outside the Patriot Center?
Pro and college football are usually the premier tailgate sports, but we don't see any reason why people can't brave the chilly weather and tailgate at college basketball games. Basketball arenas are smaller than college football stadiums, but that doesn't mean that burgers, hot dogs, and certain beverages need not be consumed. Tailgating is inherently easier at schools with big parking lots, like Maryland and George Mason, but it can still be done at urban schools like GWU and Georgetown. We did some research on whether people tailgate for hoops, and more importantly, how to do it. Please leave comments with your own ideas and experiences. Because why should football fans have all the fun?
Our findings, after the jump.
Photo of burgers on the grill by Flickr user richelleantipolo
George Mason: For the original questioner, not many Mason fans seem to tailgate. One alumna says: "Far as I know, nobody gave a shit about the basketball team until last year so I don't think any tailgating ever happened." However, she says K lot would be a good place if people were to start a new tradition.
Maryland: Maryland seems to have the best possibilities for basketball tailgating due to its big fan base, frat row and many parking lots around the Comcast Center. Tailgaters could probably also hang out at the usual football tailgating spots and march over.
George Washington: Fans of colleges inside D.C. might have a tougher time finding a good place, but we know from personal experience at GW games that it's doable. We've tailgated with friends on the steps of Funger Hall outside the Smith Center, and if that gets crowded (which hasn't happened so far, but who knows), the Quad and Kogan Plaza aren't far away. The Colonial Army, a GW student fan group, will also certainly be tailgating somewhere.
Georgetown: DCist Erin said of Georgetown that students don't tailgate for basketball, preferring to drink in their rooms or on the buses that go from campus to the Verizon Center, but that the McDonough parking lot on campus might be a good spot. We think that if people wanted to tailgate at the Verizon Center, the grassy area at the Building Museum might be a good spot, and it's only a block away. That would probably work for Wizards fans, too. Parking might be a little tough, however. As for American, Howard, Catholic and other schools, parking lots are a good bet, but we're all ears for more possibilities.
So how does one tailgate in the middle of a city? It's easier than you might think. For GW games, we brought out a little portable gas grill and set it up on the steps of Funger — it doesn't need a lot of space and it's easy to set up and take down. Some friends brought brats, chips, and other grub, though your food choices are limited only by your imagination — pots of chili sound good on a cold basketball morning. You could even go the easy route and bring pre-cooked food, but what's the fun in that?
We should add that public drinking is illegal, and we are not advocating any such activity. But if a person were to say, place a paper bag around a beer or add a little rum to their Coke bottles entirely on their own, well, there's not much we can do about that.
In any case, we plan to tailgate outside Colonials games again this season, and hope basketball fans at other schools around D.C. do the same. You won't regret it.