One of my younger employees went to OSU and never went to a basketball game, hockey game or probably any other game. And he only wen to 2-3 football games each year. Another young alumni told me she never went to a game until after she graduated. Shocked me cuz she always up on football news and seems like the type that didn't miss a game.
You're not from around here, are you? Tailgating at an OSU game you don't have tickets for is very much a thing. Much like people who have tickets never make it due to tailgating.
Right. I've only lived here since 1991, and attended tOSU. I'm out of my depth. You're talking about people who couldn't get tickets to a game. The people being described here didn't attend any games because they weren't interested; they will not be tailgating.
I was being facetious. No, I wasn't talking about people who couldn't get tickets. I am talking about the people who drive down to the stadium, srt up the big screen tv with satellite and party in the morning with everyone else. Then when the game starts, they watch the game on their big screen tv in the parking lot. Some of them even talk about being on tv delay so they will hear the reaction of the stadium and know to pay more attention if they are talking or getting something to eat/drink.
KG's post implied people who had plenty of opportunity "going to a football school" yet never went to a game. Student tickets aren't hard to get (or weren't when I was in school) so lack of attendence indicates lack of interest to me. So, much like me, they'd never try to go to a game, nor tailgate. These are not the people you describe. I'm well aware of those too. I Catered many of their tailgates in the parking lots during games.
Yeah, I did that a time or too when I still lived on campus. One thing I miss about how tv has evolved for CFB--the bands are mostly ignored. I was glad I got to take my mom to a game to see Script Ohio (even though the fans were not super friendly).
It has been estimated that there are 100K people that just tailgate. You don't have to be a football fan to enjoy a good party. You did say these were college kids, right? Next you are going to tell me they don't drink.
I had a roommate my freshman year that didn't drink. Safe to say, I was in a different dorm by the winter quarter.
I am [OSU ALUMNUS/COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN], but TBDBITL's ramp entrance is the main attraction for me at games.
I had season tickets for 20+ years after graduation and finally dropped them when my daughter's soccer games were all on Saturday afternoons and I got sick of trying to scalp the shit games. The only thing I miss is the traditions like Ramp. Still get goosebumps thinking about it. All the rest is much better from my couch.
We gave up ours to my alma mater about 7-8 years back I'd had them since 1984. Mostly, it was the expensive hotels that finally got us--and the long drive. I had a partner to split them with, but even so, a weekend could set you back $1K or more. We're still trying to get around to all the schools in the Big Ten, though (got Maryland last season and Iowa the year before), and I want to go to Auburn in two (especially to see my cousin, who lives there and is an Auburn grad/fan). Of course, the virus may get in the way of those plans.... I chalk it up to seasons of life.
Except when they buy those tickets and sell them for $100 each. (Student tickets are the way to go if you don't care about where you sit. I got in for few last year for under $50. I think two were closer to $20.) There was a "You're Not An OSU Student Until" list I saw a few times: 1) You sell your Northwestern ticket for pizza money. 2) You sell your TTUN ticket for tuition money. Maybe it's just who I tailgate with and my game day route I take around the area, but it seems like the vast majority of OSU students don't tailgate, at least around the stadium area. Most seemingly hang out at their residences and then show up right around kickoff, making sure to leave well before the end of the game. *Sigh* And yeah, our band has always kicked butt. I heard a story once from someone who lived in one of the towers. They had a late night one Friday night and a reaaallly short sleep that night, as they were woken up around 6am by the band practice. The joke is that people who are roommates with band members will see them heading to practice as they're just getting to bed.
I have a number of friends who are TBDBITL alum. One is 80! And, of course, friends who are Blue Band alums (no overlap AFAIK). One of my favorite things about travelling to other Big 10 (and some others--we've been to Bama and UVa, for example) is seeing other schools' bands perform.
This is accurate. It's more affordable to drink at your apartment/dorm then to spend money reserving a tailgate spot, buy all the necessary supplies/tvs/RVs/etc, when you just live a few blocks away. I would say the average tailgater are 30 to 50 years old with disposable income and use this as an excuse to relive their "glory days".
That's not exactly my experience at all. I have a friend with an RV that is in the lot by Bill Davis and although the people that own the RV's are obviously older, there are a shit ton of young kids that tailgate in there. My daughters friends that go to OSU always like to walk down and grab some free booze/food from the parents tailgates. When we were in college there were always people we knew that had tailgates that we would join that were run by their parents or other alumni. And the best part was the beer was free! If you ever went down to Hiney Gate, Varsity Club or the other Lane Ave. spots there were more adults but even now as a 49 year old I am by far in the oldest age group. I remember pulling my car into the lot at St. Johns in the early 90's when I was in undergrad and the parking there was as much as anywhere else and it was full of students. Maybe you guys run with a more mature crowd than I do/did.
Then when the opposing bands play your school's song, it's just not the same. Part of that from the OSU angle is the lack of woodwinds and the 180 BPM the entire pregame show is, but I've also heard other bands play OSU songs. It's a nice gesture, but yeah...it's never the same.