Will Gas Prices Kill Tailgating?

The soaring price of gasoline has had a ripple effect on all consumer goods all the way down to the price hamburger buns. You think you have it bad having to pay $4 a gallon at the pump? Think about the poor trucker who is paying upwards of over $5 a gallon for diesel already. Many of these truckers are independent owners and operators and that means they are footing the bill for their own fuel to haul your food and anything else you can buy across the country.

The trickle down effect of the truckers having to pay more for gas means that the cost of food and other consumable goods has gone up in direct relation. Prices for staples such as bread, milk, eggs and flour are rising sharply. Since 2003, egg prices jumped about 60 percent from a year ago, pasta products rose 30 percent and fruits and vegetables rose by 20 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

This all got me to thinking. What two things do tailgaters consume in order to go tailgating? You already know the answer. Gasoline to get you to the tailgate party and food to consume while at the tailgate party. Will $5 a gallon gas be the death of tailgating?

We know in times of economic recession that consumers cut back on non-essentials. People eat out less often because it is cheaper to stay home and cook. People do not take vacations or instead will go away for the weekend instead of an entire week. With gas prices so high, this past Memorial Day Holiday was the first time in a long time that Americans’ drove less than in years prior. Could tailgating be the next victim of the gas crunch?

It may not kill tailgating but you might change the way you tailgate in the future. You may leave home your Honda generator because it costs too damn much to fill it with gas. You may choose to bring less gear and use a smaller car because you don’t have the gas money to tailgate with your normal SUV. Don’t forget, the NFL regular season is less than 90 days away and the start of the college football season will be here even sooner. By that time, gas is predicted to be $5 a gallon. How different will the tailgating lots look come August and September?

So how will rising gas prices affect you and your regular tailgating crew? Leave a comment below and tell us what you are doing to still tailgate in the face of rising fuel costs.