Notre Dame Study: Tailgaters Play Role In College Football Victory

A new study from the University of Notre Dame finds that a tailgaiting culture is a vital element in college football success.

“A Cultural Analysis of Tailgating” examined football culture and found that tailgating is a unique experience among sports. Study co-author Professor John Sherry explained that “with tailgating, fans are not only establishing family rituals that can pass through many generations, they are also becoming active participants in the game-day experience.”

Sherry went on to say that fans “understand it as a contribution to the team’s victory” and that “they are literally surrounding the stadium with their expressions of loyalty and love.”

Tonya Bradford, an assistant professor of marketing at the university, co-authored the study.