New Tailgating Rules: Too Strict or About Time?

JonDMiller said:
People can still drive there, set up, cook out, get out the chairs, and drink to their hearts content in their area, next to family and friends, pee in the porta potties, go to the game, drink afterwards for an hour, then leave. How is tailgating going to be crushed for this person? Because I am guessing if you are driving back to Chicago, someone has to be sober, right?
Click to expand...

I know that when I drive back to Chicago, I'm going to sit in traffic for a while when I get to Chicago, so I like to chill after the game and have a beer, grill and watch or listen to other games with my buddies for a few hours. Me and Happy Chef have 4 tickets and a parking pass and we shell out a hair over 3 grand a year for those. I'm not going to shell out my $1500 a year just for tickets, plus $250 for a motel if the cops are going to watch the clock and treat me like some 13 year old hippy skateboarder if I want to stay 3 hours after a game instead of two.

Half the reason I go is tailgating so I can hang out with my buddies while my ol' lady is at home. The changes in any given year aren't that material when viewed one year over another, but the aggregate of changes over the past decade have been tremendous and have taken away from the tailgating experience by pushing people farther away from the stadium and generally stomped out things that weren't really hurting people.

The football games are a place to socialize and crush some brews. I think deep down inside, we can all see where this is going - it's incrementally going toward pushing people away from the Stadium and toward "drying out" the tailgating. For the amount of cash I spend to get to the games between a rental car, tickets, motels, gas, etc., if the powers that be want to homogenize the Iowa City tailgating experience and make it just like every other suburban area in Iowa complete with a TGI Friday's tent and Panera Bread stand (they'll be the only ones who can afford or will be given the permits) coupled with a fun free atmosphere where anyone attempting to let loose for a few hours will get arrested or a citation, I'll just keep my money and go up to Merkle's and watch the games with a bunch of Hawk fans who like to enjoy a brew or two.
 
INTIMIDATORHawk said:
The U of I is making an effort to tame down the tailgating atmosphere in Iowa City. i.e: they want to control the alcohol consumption of Iowa fans.

How hypocritical is that on their part? If you pay enough money to have seats in their press box, they will serve you alcohol during the entire game!
Click to expand...

Hey dude, don't knock the boxes - those people are kind enough to pass beers out to the lucky folks who sit in the back row.

If the universities really want to crack down on booze, I'd like to see the conferences put a covenant into their TV contracts preventing all licensees of their TV rights from airing alcohol commercials during the game broadcasts or highlight shows containing college football footage. What are the odds of that happening?
 
JonDMiller said:
The biggest thing I see, from someone that doesn't tailgate, is the people that are being responsible, the shutting off of the post game cookouts and tailgating an hour after is the biggest deal...there are a lot of responsible people that plan their biggest meal of the day after the game for an 11am kickoff...this will be the first thing to change, I suspect.

QUOTE]


This will suck. I didn't consider this. We cookout AFTER the 11:00 KOs so how the heck can you accomplish that within 60 minutes of game ending? 90 minutes would be doable. (oh and I dislike 11:00 KOs anyway)
Click to expand...
 
I really don't agree with this at all, its stupid to put up check points on Melrose. All they are going to accomplish is driving people away from attending the games. If they want to do a checkpoint, set up shop right south west of kinnick and nail all the people who drive out after the games. Seriously last year we got hit by a driver who was in a hurry to get out of the lot!

Also something needs to be done about Iowa City Hotels, those are pathetic! Seriously charging a 2 night stay and charging 250-300 a night! I know its like it everywhere in the Big Ten, but seriously charging that much at a super 8 or holiday inn express is just a joke!
 
Just a quick correction here before everybody gets the total wrong idea.

**Tailgating has to end 2 hours after the game is over**

**Drinking alcohol has to end one hour after the game is over**

So if the game gets out at 2:15 you still have until 3:15 to drink beer and then 4:15 to finish your post game tailgate.
 
INTIMIDATORHawk said:
The U of I is making an effort to tame down the tailgating atmosphere in Iowa City. i.e: they want to control the alcohol consumption of Iowa fans.

How hypocritical is that on their part? If you pay enough money to have seats in their press box, they will serve you alcohol during the entire game!
Click to expand...

Thier answer to this is going to be pretty simple. We don't serve to visiblyl intoxicated persons. We have never had an issue with someone in a luxury box urinating in the press box not in a bathroom and we've never had anyone pass out drunk or puke on someone.
 
The biggest problem I have (aside from not being able to urinate in public ...JK!) is not being able to drink on the way to the stadium/another tailgate. I'm not really sure why those of us who are able to act like adults are being penalized for the irresponsible actions of a few idiots. Have the University officials ever been to an away game??????????? Tell me what other University in the Big 10 has the open container rule enforced on game day....yeah, I couldn't think of 1 either.
 
okeefe4prez said:
I know that when I drive back to Chicago, I'm going to sit in traffic for a while when I get to Chicago, so I like to chill after the game and have a beer, grill and watch or listen to other games with my buddies for a few hours. Me and Happy Chef have 4 tickets and a parking pass and we shell out a hair over 3 grand a year for those. I'm not going to shell out my $1500 a year just for tickets, plus $250 for a motel if the cops are going to watch the clock and treat me like some 13 year old hippy skateboarder if I want to stay 3 hours after a game instead of two.

Half the reason I go is tailgating so I can hang out with my buddies while my ol' lady is at home. The changes in any given year aren't that material when viewed one year over another, but the aggregate of changes over the past decade have been tremendous and have taken away from the tailgating experience by pushing people farther away from the stadium and generally stomped out things that weren't really hurting people.

The football games are a place to socialize and crush some brews. I think deep down inside, we can all see where this is going - it's incrementally going toward pushing people away from the Stadium and toward "drying out" the tailgating. For the amount of cash I spend to get to the games between a rental car, tickets, motels, gas, etc., if the powers that be want to homogenize the Iowa City tailgating experience and make it just like every other suburban area in Iowa complete with a TGI Friday's tent and Panera Bread stand (they'll be the only ones who can afford or will be given the permits) coupled with a fun free atmosphere where anyone attempting to let loose for a few hours will get arrested or a citation, I'll just keep my money and go up to Merkle's and watch the games with a bunch of Hawk fans who like to enjoy a brew or two.
Click to expand...

I guess you'll just have to come to the conclusion that despite you dropping 3 grand per year for your Hawkeye trips you are still subject to the same laws everyone else is.

I suggest you watch this film for educational purposes....

poster.jpg
 
The nightmare scenario for this is when Iowa becomes mediocre or poor in football again. The tailgating experience is so bad because of the restrictive laws that Kinnick becomes the new Carver Hawkeye Arena in poor attendance numbers. People stop coming to the games, watching them more on television and Kinnick loses it's intimidation factor. Way to go Barta, the U of I, and the Iowa City Government.
 
H8IAST8 said:
You can't check for sobriety without slowing down traffic. I don't drive at all on gameday so that will not effect me. The open container is stupid, and alot of us see this as another step towards the destruction of Iowa tailgating. There are several threads, and while the media makes it sound like this is the first step, it isnt. They have been slowly doing this since the half time passes were nixed 9 years ago. Me and my friends have already discussed going to bars instead. Prefereably on the CORALVILLE side.
Click to expand...

This is why I don't get how they think that the checkpoints won't slow up traffic. You can't add a stop to the route and not slow it down.
 
That 2 hour limit on being out of lots (eating) after games is really the kicker to me. We all sit 5 rows from the top in section 104. The average age of this section is probably older than most, and it sometimes empties slower than molasses. If the weather and the game are good, people stay for the end, and it can take quite a while to get out of there. That coupled with the walk back to the lot can easily take over 30 minutes.

I have absolutely no problem cutting down on the problem drinkers - think that is long over due, but again, why pick on the 95% that are doing things the right way. As many have said, this is a large investment we put into these weekends. If I want my tailgating to suck, I could go about 35 miles North of home and accomplish for $99 a seat while spending the day in what feels like an oversize Walmart lot.

We already leave DM between 5 or 5:30. May have to move that departure time up I guess and drive around the barricades when we get to the lots as Barney Fife won't be out of bed yet.

Talk about un-American - this just "ain't" right!
 
"Hawkeye fans should be glad that the school doesn't ban tailgating altogether," Barta said.

I did not have much of a problem with the new rules (believe it when I see it) or what was said until I heard that little tidbit. That's an incredibly pretentious way to speak to the people that essentially fund your employment and the entire athletic department. The University and the city do a lot of wonderful things, I just think they are making themselves more of a bad-guy than they need to in their alcohol relations. That statement is the epitome of poor rhetoric.

The University and the city have a long history of implementing regulations without really citing what problem they are hoping to negate. Yes, most of the time the intent is pretty obvious, but I can't say the same thing about the plausibility and the need of it. I'de like to be a fly on the wall when the costs and benefits of these regulations are weighed. I loved living in Iowa City and still love going there, but it's things like this that make me not regret moving away.

And do not mistake this as a bleeding-heart cry for alcohol rights, though it would rightly become that if tailgating were banned. I just do not want to be treated like a child when I act like a responsible adult. Tailgating isn't primarily about the alcohol. If it were, why would people choose to be sleep-deprived on their day off in freezing cold weather. Give me a break, Gary.
 
asshalo said:
"Hawkeye fans should be glad that the school doesn't ban tailgating altogether," Barta said.
I did not have much of a problem with the new rules (believe it when I see it) or what was said until I heard that little tidbit. That's an incredibly pretentious way to speak to the people that essentially fund your employment and the entire athletic department. The University and the city do a lot of wonderful things, I just think they are making themselves more of a bad-guy than they need to in their alcohol relations. That statement is the epitome of poor rhetoric.

The University and the city have a long history of implementing regulations without really citing what problem they are hoping to negate. Yes, most of the time the intent is pretty obvious, but I can't say the same thing about the plausibility and the need of it. I'de like to be a fly on the wall when the costs and benefits of these regulations are weighed. I loved living in Iowa City and still love going there, but it's things like this that make me not regret moving away.

And do not mistake this as a bleeding-heart cry for alcohol rights, though it would rightly become that if tailgating were banned. I just do not want to be treated like a child when I act like a responsible adult. Tailgating isn't primarily about the alcohol. If it were, why would people choose to be sleep-deprived on their day off in freezing cold weather. Give me a break, Gary.
Click to expand...

Where was this quote? Barta is ******. At lest Bowlsby didnt try any of this ****.
 
"Hawkeye fans should be glad that the school doesn't ban tailgating altogether," Barta said.
If Barta said that, and I don't know that he did, that tells me a couple of things. 1)That option was on the table and someone in power (I'm looking at you Sally Mason) wanted to just ban tailgating or all drinking at tailgating and was probably talked out of it. 2) Banning tailgating, or drinking at tailgating, is probably still the ultimate goal of some in the U of I administration.

I have seen similar things happen at other academic institutions, ones that wanted to 'change the culture' and the result was a duller less vibrant place that produced alumni that got their degree, left town and never came back.
 
Hawkfromnorwalk said:
Just a quick correction here before everybody gets the total wrong idea.

**Tailgating has to end 2 hours after the game is over**

**Drinking alcohol has to end one hour after the game is over**

So if the game gets out at 2:15 you still have until 3:15 to drink beer and then 4:15 to finish your post game tailgate.
Click to expand...

THIS is exactly what's wrong with the policy. And it's a damn shame.
 
Hawks33 said:
I hate being given a deadline when we have to be out of the lots. We always cook lunch after 11am games. Even for afternoon games, we will snack, BS about the game, listen to post game wrap ups and other big games. Our alcohol consumption afterwards is pretty much nil, and we always use a DD. We hate waiting in traffic lines, and this will cause plenty of that!

Rather than penalizing all, please have the nads to specifically address the problem folks.
Click to expand...
I second 100%!

We always grille out after AM and Noon games. It's a fun way to wait out traffic and a preferable alternative to starring at the car in front of you on melrose and highway 1 for 2 hours.
 
DuffMan said:
Man, I just shake my head at all the people who have problems with DUI checkpoints. It's kinda scary.
Click to expand...
I think you're writing off valid concerns about the check-points with a blanket statement. Not everyone who has a problem with this is defending drunk driving. With any regulation you have to consider need, efficiency of it's enforcement, and overall costs and benefits. I think a lot of people have raised valid concerns while looking through those points.
 
asshalo said:
I think you're writing off valid concerns about the check-points with a blanket statement. Not everyone who has a problem with this is defending drunk driving. With any regulation you have to consider need, efficiency of it's enforcement, and overall costs and benefits. I think a lot of people have raised valid concerns while looking through those points.
Click to expand...

You're aware that you misquoted Barta in a previous post, right?
 
In this day in age as municipalities are hurting for $$$ you see a lot more of revenue generators as this. It isn't about safety, it is about making money.

Bottom line: Don't act like an idiot and your experience won't change a bit
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top