My favourite time of the year is here. Football season has begun. While I'm a huge fan of the NFL, I'm specifically a Seattle Seahawks fan. I have been a season ticket holder for 6 years now and never miss a game. Most people from Canada do not have any idea how much bigger live sports events are in the USA. A Seahawks game day experience is something to behold. The usual kick-off time is around 1:15pm but the city is alive and ready for football by 9am. Near the stadium the bars open at 10am but there are lineups to get in before. The tailgating parties begin much earlier and the level of planning that takes place for the tailgating parties is amazing. For those who don't know what a tailgate party is, it's when a group of people meet up at a sporting event hours before it starts and BBQ and consume alcohol. It's usually done in a parking lot or warehouse area within walking distance of the stadium. I've seen small tailgate parties of 2 people huddled around the back of a car or large tailgate parties where there are multiple big screen televisions and full BBQ pits to feed 50-100 people. Friends of mine that tailgate, plan their menu all week long and decide who will bring what. They bring multiple BBQ's and coolers and tents and set all of this up at 6:30am. The alcohol laws in Washington allow open alcohol containers around the stadium. In Vancouver they have tried to promote tailgating parties but there is no alcohol allowed, which I have a hunch has something to do with why tailgating is not as popular in Canada. Tail gaiting is so big in the USA that there are online magazines dedicated to it. Sites like tailgatermonthly.com and tailgating.com are dedicated to the art of tailgating. Each teams fans have dedicated Facebook pages to their tailgate parties and in some cases I think people like the parties more than the football. Seahawks tickets are very difficult to get this year. Many of the so called experts are picking them to win the super bowl which in turn has raised ticket prices. If you are a sports fan or just a fan of entertainment in general, I encourage you to experience game day once in your life. The experience is more than just the game itself. GO HAWKS!!!
