We’re just days away from my favorite day of the entire year: the Eagles’ home opener. Yes, I’m excited to see DeSean Jackson catch a 75-yard bomb for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage, but I’m equally pumped for the festivities going on outside Lincoln Financial Field before the game. Based off my years’ worth of experience, here are some tailgate tips and tricks to help you enjoy your football Sunday to the max.
Tailgate spot
Whether you’re in the K Lot right outside the Linc, Jetro across the street, or the P Lot opposite of Citizens Bank Park, you’re going to have a great time regardless. I’m personally a Jetro die-hard, but, again, it doesn’t matter too much. The earlier you get there the better. Lots open about five or six hours before every game depending on the lot. You don’t have to be one of those people lined up outside at 6:30 a.m. waiting to get in there as quickly as possible, but the sooner you get there, the sooner you can set up your gear and start the beginning of a phenomenal day.
Food
Nothing like carb-loading before a day of debauchery. You could always carry the gigantic grill from your backyard through your house before loading it up in your truck like my dad. But if you have the means to get a little mini grill to just use for tailgating, that’s probably your best option.
If you’re feeling cocky, bring some variety to your tailgate. Gas up your generator and let pulled pork simmer in a slow cooker. Get a bunch of Phil’s Steaks whiz wits or Not Just Pizza chicken fingers delivered right outside your tailgate lot. Never be afraid to go all out with your spread. If you want to keep things simple with just some burgers and dogs on the grill, that’s perfectly fine as well.
Make sure to bring some napkins and plates too. Before the 2017 NFC Championship Game (Eagles won, 38-7, people forget that), I went to Party City on Oregon Avenue to pick some up. I asked a store associate if they had anything football related and they directed me toward a bunch of officially licensed Super Bowl LII products. I had to reassure them that my dad would murder me if I showed up to the tailgate with Super Bowl stuff before the Eagles even made it there because it would be bad luck.
NFL
Drinks
I want to preface this by stating that you should drink responsibly and never drink and drive. I’m sure some craft beer snobs will be up in arms over this, but leave your heady IPAs and other similar nonsense at home. A nice session IPA is a solid option. You’re in a parking lot, not a dinner party. Don’t turn up your nose at an ice-cold Miller Lite. If you’re that much of a nitwit who refuses to drink light beer, you can’t go wrong with Rolling Rock either.
Maybe you want to switch things up though. I suspect there will be a huge influx of spiked seltzers this season given the Summer of White Claws that we’re currently in. I’m 100 percent down for that. If you’re adventurous and hitting liquor, again, drink responsibly and think things through. If it’s a Sunday night or Monday night game, should you be crushing vodka and clubs for six hours in the parking lot before you go in? Absolutely not. Trust me. You’ll end up asking to see the driver’s license of every Cowboys fan around you to check if they’re actually from Texas.
Music
Your heart should already be booming out of your doggone chest, but when you need to hit that extra level before heading into the game, there’s nothing better than blasting your favorite jams on a portable speaker system and getting everyone in your tailgate group amped. Feel free to listen to whatever genre you want and don’t let anyone tell you differently. If you want to blast “Dreams and Nightmares” on repeat for five hours, get after it. If you want to listen to The Wonder Years and The Menzingers while ramming your head into the side of your car, go for it. If you want to listen to a mix of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen while shooting the breeze about the good ol’ days with your friends, crank “Dancing in the Dark” at the highest volume possible.
Make sure you go acapella and sing “Fly Eagles Fly” at least 15 times while waiting in line to get past the Linc’s security team too.
Games
Don’t play Spikeball. You’re not on the beach. You’re not chilling on a Saturday afternoon outside the Sigma Chi chapter house. Spikeball is meant for people who wear visors backward, not people who wear a hoodie and shorts in 54-degree weather. You can’t beat classics like cornhole, washers or KanJam. I’m pretty terrible at throwing a frisbee, which I blame on growing up in South Philly, but I’m a big cornhole guy. Just don’t be like my dad and take it too seriously because then I feel like the kid whose dad is forcing him to throw 100 pitches in the backyard every other day to prepare him for The Little League World Series.
Company
If you’re with your family or friends getting ready to watch the Birds hang a crooked number up on an NFC East rival, that’s all that matters. We all we got. We all we need.
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