Charger Sports

UT football: serious socializing

Jonathan McNabb, Charger Staff

Not many sporting events can compare to a University of Tennessee football game, although game really is not the word for it.

The true University of Tennessee football game experience is an all day event. Much of this experience involves tailgating before and after the game and without this a UT game is not the same.

Tailgating can be as simple as sharing food with friends while sitting on the back of a truck or as elaborate as having a motor home with all the amenities.

For miles around UT’s Neyland Stadium thousands of people arrive hours early to tailgate. Some even arrive at daybreak, showing that a parking spot is a treasured commodity.

UT has one especially unique aspect to tailgating. Neyland Stadium is one of only two college campuses in the United States that is accessible by water.

The Tennessee River serves as a tailgating highway for a caravan of boats known as the Vol Navy. After tailgating comes the game. On a good game over 109,000 fans converge on Knoxville to watch the Vols play.

During this time Neyland Stadium becomes the fifth largest city in Tennessee.

Few experiences can compare to the feeling one gets when seeing a hundred thousand fans stand and cheer for the Volunteers.

This experience is usually highlighted by a win, as the Vols have won more than eighty percent of their home games all-time.

A University of Tennessee football game is an experience that cannot be missred.