Things you should never do at a college football tailgate

The SEC has some of the best tailgating scenes in college football, especially in Tuscaloosa and Auburn, and it only takes walking a few steps past a handful of tents on campus to see why.

Fans setting up on Saturdays this fall must mentally prepare for the logistical planning and physical undertaking of tailgating before and after an Alabama or Auburn football game. It takes a toll, and Weekly guests (invited and otherwise) can often make or break the experience.

Luckily, the good vibes of the Crimson Tide and Tiger fan bases usually create an ultimately positive atmosphere all day long, but its important to point out ways you can hinder your fellow fans from having the best possible time under the tents. Below, we look at ways you could ruin someone’s tailgate experience this season if you’re not careful. We should note that this behavior is rare for Alabama and Auburn fans who traditionally want to help their fellow Tide and Tiger faithful putting in the hard work.

It might sound like too many rules for such a casual occasion, but people put in a lot of hard work to make it fun for you, so do your best to show the proper appreciation with this simple tailgating etiquette.

Dont show up Uninvited

Don’t intentionally come unannounced to avoid being a contributor when your host would have otherwise invited you. If you don’t feel like contributing to the production, that’s fine. But if you want to avoid making steam come out of the ears of those responsible for the tailgate, maybe skip that tent on that particular day. No one necessarily invites you to a tailgate or party expecting you to work with them to set up or clean, but its a simple courtesy that makes their day that much easier.

Dont Mooch

You’ll notice that as a common theme here. If you and the host know you’re coming, offer to help — physically and financially. Its common sense and courtesy, yall. If you can’t pitch in any dollars, don’t feel bad. Avoid the stress and enjoy yourself, but offer to do some of the heavy lifting or run an errand if necessary. Those kinds of favors can sometimes go a longer way than money. But if you can, money is also good.

Don’t be obnoxious

Gamedays are meant for fans to cut loose and enjoy themselves. Heck, its Saturday. Time to Escape the real world, chug some beer and stuff pork into our faces. But keep your cool and represent your tent the right way. Try not to overindulge in whatever food or drink youre engorging and instead remain the fun person folks want around the site. Thats why youre there after all, not to get into heated arguments over hypothetical nonsense that dont go well with anyones chips and dip. Put simply, take it down a notch and show some manners.

Don’t bring surprise guests

Don’t bring your entire extended family and let them dive in to the hosts spread as if its a buffet. Look, it’s fine to bring an unexpected friend or two. Most tailgaters welcome any and every friend of friends who happen to drop in to visit. They’ll usually offer food or drink to those they’ve just met. But anything they offer is typically meant for someone else and counted well before they bothered to set up. Tailgaters don’t mind making sacrifices and love to show good southern hospitality. Just don’t take advantage of it.

Don’t eat and run

Offer to help tear down after you’ve enjoyed a full day under a shaded tent, in a comfy chair, in front of a television. Breaking down one tent and a couple of chairs is one thing. But even the smaller tailgates sometimes have multiple tents, chairs, tables, lights, coolers and other equipment that requires manpower to break down and transport back to the car. And that’s before you even hit traffic. The tailgaters night is far from over when the final whistle blows in Bryant-Denny Stadium, so alleviate some of their stress by taking an extra 15 minutes or so to fold a chair or carry a cooler. Whatever you do, absolutely do not no-show if you’ve spent more than an hour or two at that tailgate prior to breakdown. Not cool, yall.

Don’t take someone’s seat

Don’t sit in a chair if people higher up in the food chain are without one. Most likely, you didn’t bring that chair anyway. No one will bar you from sitting in an empty chair. By all means, take a load off. Just keep in mind that the Organizer had a specific number in mind when they packed that many chairs, and make sure you were one of those people before you take a seat from someone who actually needs to get off his or her feet.