Tailgating Ideas – Don't Just Tailgate, Tailgate Better

Not sure if this was shot in the Muni Lot or in “The Pit” but both places can get pretty wild for tailgating before a Cleveland Browns game. Apparently this guy thought it would be fun to get in the way of every car coming down the parking aisle and do a little dance before letting it pass. Some may call it annoying. Others may call it a public service for performing a little traffic control and preventing gridlock. You decide.

It was last week when we told you that we had recently completed customizing a Margaritaville Tailgating Grill to Ohio State Buckeyes colors and logo. The OSU grill was ordered by longtime advertiser Cornhole.com’s owner JP Ragon. We hinted that we would be posting up photos of the second grill we did for JP… this one being a Cleveland Browns tailgating grill. Here they are:

If you would like to see more photos of other Custom Tailgating Grills, click HERE.

With new year’s eve rapidly approaching it seems as if everyone is looking back and reflecting on the past year. If you can’t beat ‘em then join ‘em is how the old saying goes.

2010 was a rather good year for TailgatingIdeas.com. We opened the year by attending and appearing as a guest panelist at the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show in January. We also added two new contributors to the TailgatingIdeas.com family, welcoming in Foster “Jim” Flint and Mary B. Clark into the fold. Throughout the year we gained new visitors from such big name websites like Sports Illustrated, hit the front page of Digg.com in July, also we were featured in other high profile blogs and message boards. Also in July we opened up Shop.TailgatingIdeas.com, our tailgating gear store that organized and made finding those tailgating items that you normally can’t find in big box stores easier to find and easier to buy. In August we celebrated our three year anniversary of blogging on tailgating and the tailgate party lifestyle virtually thumbing our noses at the critics and detractors that said a blog dedicated to tailgating would not work.

All in all, 2010 was a great year for the expansion and reach of this tailgating website but it would not have been possible without all of you reading this right now. With that said, we would like to say thank you for reading and visiting. If you are a regular, thank you for your loyalty and we hope we have provided you with some outstanding tailgating ideas over the past year. If you are brand new, welcome and we hope you bookmark us and return frequently. So without further delay, let’s take a look back at which posts were the most viewed and read by you the visitors.

10) My Pole-ish Horseshoes – Back in March we discovered this new tailgating game that has more popularity on the eastern seaboard compared to the west coast. By taking the game of polish horseshoes and improving on it to give it a wider base that does not tip over easily and also breaks down and transports easily to a tailgate party it is no wonder this post was one of our most popular in 2010.

9) The REAL Top 10 College Football Tailgates of 2010 – Some sports blogger decided to put together a list prior to the start of the 2010 college football season stating which games would expect to have the best tailgating prior to kick off. It was a nice list but basically read as if it were a college game preview of which games looked on paper to be great match-ups. Real tailgaters understand that a perceived good game on the field does not always translate into a great tailgate. So we decided to make our own list taking into account start times, rivalry aspects, tradition and just overall tailgating enthusiasm at that particular institution and compiled our own list. This post became quite popular as other sports blogs and messages boards referred to it and thus sent quite a large number of visitors our way.

8) Winegard Carryout: Portable Satellite Antenna Review – Normally a product review does not gain popularity to the point it breaks the Top 10 of most read post in a particular year but Foster Flint’s review of this product was the exception to the rule. Apparently there are a ton of people out there thirsty for knowledge on a quality and reputable portable satellite system for tailgating. Judging by the number of visitors coming in to read this review, apparently they got what they wanted.

7) New York Yankees Tailgating Grill – It’s no secret that since customizing our first Margaritaville Tailgating Grill to San Diego Chargers colors and theme we have done other teams since. With all due respect to the other team grills we have customized over the years, the New York Yankees grill we completed in April was probably the most impressive of them all. What made this grill stand out was the attention to detail we put into this grill all the way down to the authentic pinstripes. The pinstripes on this grill were the exact color and width of a Yankee pinstripe you find on their uniforms. On top of that the spacing between the pinstripes was the exact width you would find on Derek Jeter’s uniform. As you can imagine we proudly posted up photos of this grill and numerous Yankees fan message boards and forums immediately linked to it making it our No. 7 most read post in 2010.

6) $5 To Walk & Tailgate? – In one of the more outrageous tailgating stories of 2010 comes this one surrounding pedestrian tailgaters in Cleveland. Apparently the operator of one of the popular tailgating lots near the Browns’ stadium thought it would be a good idea to charge people $5 just to walk into the parking lot and join friends who were already parked. As you can imagine this caused an uproar and this story was getting national coverage. We’re proud to say we were one of the first ones outside of the local Cleveland area to report on this and subsequently this post was picked up by larger media outlets like Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports.

5) Help Make Cornholing An Olympic Sport – It was just a simple YouTube video made by the guy over at Brotherhood of Bags encouraging the International Olympic Committee to add the game of Cornhole to the list of officially recognized sports. Well, apparently many of you within the tailgating community agreed making this our fifth most popular post in 2010.

4) Cleveland Muni Lot Outrage & Petition – All in all, 2010 was not the best year for the people and fans of Cleveland. LeBron James announced on national TV he was abandoning the city to take his talents to Miami, the Indians finished out of the baseball playoffs again and the Browns still have a long way to go before they are a viable team for the NFL postseason. What Cleveland fans do have going for them is the tailgating…. up until this year.

2010 marked the year that the famous Muni Lot not only raised the parking fees but reduced tailgating times by over 30%. Instead of opening the gates at 4 am it was announced that Muni Lot gates would not open until 7 am. As you can imagine, this outraged Browns tailgaters and they responded in kind. They immediately started a petition and organized their own civil disobedience that would make Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr proud. Reports of tailgaters lining up at the gates at 4 am and waiting for three hours for them to open caused massive traffic congestion and potential accidents that the police ended up opening up the gates at 6 am in order to protect public safety.

3) Stocking Stuffer Ideas – Always around the holidays we hear people complain that they never can find good stocking stuffer ideas that are small and inexpensive enough to give to the tailgater on their list. So we decided to put together a gift suggestion list that fit the bill that also would appeal to tailgaters. Judging by the number of Bottle Cap Caddies and Shotgun Party Openers sold, this post most definitely ranks No. 3 in popularity in 2010.

2) Tow Hitch Stripper Pole – What do you get when you combine a hot girl in a bikini hanging off a stripper pole demonstrating one of the most unique tailgating items to come on the market in recent years? You get the Tow Hitch Stripper Pole and that translates into thousands and thousands of visitors.

1) Holiday Gift Guide 2010 – Just like our Stocking Stuffer post that became quite popular, many of you were looking for that perfect gift for the tailgater on your shopping list. We compiled this list of items that included the Clear View LPG Tank, Drill Blender and the Pole Caddy among other cool tailgating gear. This post was the most popular one of all of 2010 despite being posted in the month of December when others had an entire year to reel in as many eyeballs.

So there are the top 10 most popular posts that were published on TailgatingIdeas.com in 2010 based on total number of visitors and page views. Did you have a favorite that didn’t crack the top 10 but is worth mentioning? Leave a comment below and let us know which one was your favorite.

Happy New Year and here’s wishing all of you tailgaters out there a happy, safe and prosperous 2011!

Here’s a question: Would you pay $5 to walk through a parking lot that used to be a city impound lot?

Before you scream “F#&% NO!” at your computer screen, consider this. That is exactly what is going on in Cleveland at a popular tailgating spot known locally as “the Pit”. The management company of this parking lot started charging people to walk into the lot to join friends who have already paid $30 to park. This management company is charging tailgaters arriving on foot a $5 fee. Are you serious? Parking lots now have cover charges?

Cleveland’s a Plum: A $5 pedestrian fee to tailgate for a browns game? Gimmie a break.
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cleveland to look into operator’s tailgate party $5 admission fees
Waiting For Next Year: Cleveland Lot Now Charging Pedestrian Tailgaters

If you chose not to read any of the above linked articles, let’s set the scene. We’ve already heard by now about the outrage Cleveland tailgaters had regarding the famed Muni lot charging $5 more this year and opening the lot three hours later than in years past.  A few weeks ago Cleveland tailgaters staged their own passive aggressive protest by showing up at the Muni Lot gates at the regular 4 am time. In fact, so many showed up before the gates opened that the traffic congestion forced Cleveland Police to open the gates at 6 am just to avoid traffic snarls and creating a completely gridlocked downtown area.

Now another parking lot east of the Browns’ stadium has decided that if the Muni Lot can squeeze more money out of tailgaters, why can’t they? Already charging $30 per vehicle was apparently not enough for Network Parking, the management company that runs “the Pit”. Network Parking instituted a policy that those tailgaters that arrived on foot and planned to join other tailgaters already parked, needed to pay $5 per person. Although many thought it was a joke, Network Parking attendants held hard and fast to their new rules. When pressed for answers by Channel 19 in Cleveland, Network Parking issued a statement that justified, in their eyes, the $5 charge for foot traffic. It stated in part,

“increased costs to maintain the lot along with additional expenses to cover liability issues related to tailgating cleanup and crowd control, such as off duty Cleveland Police officers, porta-johns, large dumpsters, clean up equipment and clean up personnel.”

Here is a follow up story that breaks the news that what the parking management company is doing is actually allowable and is not breaking any laws.

It’s absolutely unbelievable the greed, utter disrespect and disregard tailgaters are receiving these days. When did the memo go out telling everyone but me that tailgaters are this bottomless pit of cash? Is it our fierce loyalty to our teams that allows us to be taken advantage of this way? I’d be interested your thoughts.

You know who else would be interested in your thoughts? Joel Cole, President of Network Parking. I think he would love to hear from not only local Cleveland tailgaters but from any and all of you tailgaters from around the country that want to let them know that this type of treatment is unacceptable.

Feel free to call him at: (216) 736-7190 and I would encourage you to ask for him by name. If he is unavailable, make sure to leave a voicemail giving him a piece of your mind. After you have done that, feel free to follow that up with an email that will go directly into his inbox. Please email him at: [email protected]. Also feel free to CC Bonnie Brodnik, Vice President Marketing & Administration ([email protected]) and Phil Soeder, Controller ([email protected]) on your email as well.

It’s about time we as tailgating nation stand up and take a stand on abuse and mistreatment. You may not tailgate in “the Pit” or you may not even tailgate prior to Browns games. But be careful of being apathetic and inactive now. If you are, please don’t complain when some outrageous policy and rule change affects you and your tailgating crew.

Rather than create a brand new post for each and every update on recent issues we have covered here on Tailgatingideas.com, why not combine them all into one? Yeah, I thought that might be a good idea too.

First up, update on Pinto Ron’s battle to tailgate in the Buffalo Bills main parking lot. If you were with us last week, we told you how Kenny Johnson, a.k.a. Pinto Ron was Not Welcome Anymore. Apparently the NFL and the Buffalo Bills were trying to discourage his unorthodox tailgating style and were concerned about liability issues. Well apparently the NFL and Pinto Ron have kissed and made up albeit with a few concessions on both sides.

As reported in the Mid-Week Eye Candy Wrapper #96: Justene Jaro Edition, Pinto Ron was contacted by Christopher Clark, the Bills’ director of security who encouraged him not to move his tailgating spot. Not much else was disclosed as to why the Bills were now valuing Johnson as a main fixture in the lots and had a change of heart. Johnson did say he will discontinue the tradition of giving out shots of Polish cherry liqueur out of the thumb hole of a bowling ball.

Johnson made national headlines when the Associated Press reported he would be moving his tailgate party across the street after he felt no longer welcome. This caused an uproar amongst Bills fans and the radio call in shows went berserk. So a lesson to all of your tailgaters that are feeling a little mistreated… get some press out and make some noise. The NFL can be beaten and you don’t have to take whatever they dish out lying down. The New Orleans fans took matters into their own hands in regards to the whole “Who Dat” controversy. Learn from these people and understand just because they are the NFL does not mean they can push you tailgaters around. You hold the power, not them.

And speaking of another victory for tailgaters vs. the big, bad NFL… chalk one up for the Cleveland Browns tailgaters.

Remember how we told you about Cleveland tailgaters getting up in arms about losing three hours of tailgating in the famed Cleveland Muni Lot? If you read some of the comments on the petition asking city officials to reconsider the decision to open the Muni Lot at 7 am instead of 4 am, many were concerned with the traffic congestion and gridlock this would create. Call them prophetic because traffic delays and gridlock is what occurred last Sunday.

Browns tailgaters didn’t follow the City of Cleveland’s suggestion of entering at 7 a.m. Instead, they decided to back the freeway up and also South Marginal Road. The staging lot was packed by 5 a.m. and the line to the first lot was so backed up that Cleveland police opened the lot at 6 am in order to avoid traffic jams and a potential for endangering people’s well being by encouraging a traffic accident. I am pretty confident that Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King were not tailgaters but I am sure both of them are smiling at the Browns tailgaters use of civil disobedience to fight for their right to party.

And in a final side note, here is some good news from an NFL franchise that understands the importance of tailgate nation. The Houston Texans are well known for having some of the most dedicated and die-hard tailgaters in the NFL. And because Texans fans are so into their tailgating rituals, it is easy to lose track of time. That is why the Texans management has installed a 170-decibel air horn on top of Reliant Stadium that will sound 30 minutes and 15 minutes before kickoff.

If I may opine for a moment….. that is freaking genius. I can’t tell you how many times I have been scrambling to pack things up and put them back in the car in order to go through the security pat down and be in my seat before kick-off. Setting your alarm on your cell phone or constantly looking at your watch sometimes does not cut it. If every stadium had a horn like they do in Houston, no one would have any excuse for missing kick-off.

Finally, an NFL franchise that respects and understand tailgaters. What a refreshing change.