Phillies’ Tailgates Better Than Eagles Tailgates?

Hundreds of college girls in tight clothing, nice weather, and a championship caliber team, all three things Eagles’ tailgates lack.

Ten years ago it would not have been a debate, Eagles tailgates would win, hands down. The only people tailgating Phillies games ten years ago were scalpers and the man who plays the rocky theme on the saxophone outside the ball park.

Today much has changed, throughout the past decade not only have the Phillies developed into the top team in their sport, the Phillies managed to draw a much different demographic to games than the Eagles.

A simple survey done by walking around the parking lot before an Eagles’ game shows the overwhelming majority of people tailgating at Eagles games are middle aged men. Sure, they have passion and energy but is it because they are excited to see the Eagles play or are they excited to escape their wives for six hours?

Do the same survey in the parking lots before Phillies games and the result will be much different. The entire Jetro -Lot and concrete walk way in the Linc’s parking lot is littered with people under 30 and a good portion of them are female. Half the people tailgating do not even know what team the Phillies are playing that day, but it is one hell of a party.

Phillies tailgates have surpassed Eagles tailgates because it has turned into a block party atmosphere every day of the week. Phillies games are not life and death in the same way as an Eagles game. The Phillies fans just go to have fun. There are a few intoxicated college kids with face paint, but in a refreshing way Phillies tailgates lack “the self important fan” who thinks he is a big deal in his costume.

Phillies tailgates lack the creepy middle aged man in tights; they lack the creepy guy with want to be strippers giving fans business cards telling them to join his “Legion”. Phillies tailgates are just the people of Philadelphia celebrating an awesome baseball team. Phillies tailgates represent tailgating at its purest form, drink, eat, and go into the game.

The Phillies tailgate- take-over began around 2007 when the team introduced college night. The party became so wild, the team cut the promotion off not even half way through the season. The Phillies morphed the remaining “College Nights” into “Dollar Dog Nights”. At that point it was too late, the young fans aren’t stupid, they showed up and partied hard on the “Dollar Dog Nights.”

As the party atmosphere around Citizens Bank Park increased so did the Phillies talent, creating the perfect storm for a good party. In September of 2007 as the Phillies chased the Mets for their first play-off appearance since 1993, every night during the final two week of September turned into “College Night” in the parking lots. Great weather, great parties, and great baseball, by that time all fans not just the college kids were enjoying it.

The next season as we all know the Phillies gave Philadelphia the championship it craved while the Eagles missed the play-offs and disappointed in the play-offs at that point the takeover was complete. Tailgating and attending an Eagles game is far more expensive than tailgating a Phillies game. The Eagles price out the younger fan, which is good business there are only 8 games to make money and older people spend the big bucks, but the debate is which is a better tailgate and let’s face it the young party harder than the old. If you find yourself questioning that statement ask yourself this, who would you rather party with 22 year old college girls, or your 57 year old neighbor Al?

Philly fans love the Phillies and Eagles equally; again this is not a debate of who is the better organization. The debate is which has the better pre-game party? The Eagles or the Phillies?