Tailgating isn't just a party, research shows

Pregame tailgating isn't just a party. It's a complex community-building exercise that hearkens back to ancient harvest festivals.

John Sherry, a University of Notre Dame cultural anthropologist, conducted a two-year study of college tailgating and found that the parking lot parties have ties to harvest celebrations in ancient Rome and Greece, picnics during Civil War battles and modern gatherings such as camp-outs at Jimmy Buffett concerts and Occupy Wall Street encampments.

"The idea of getting out of your house and feasting and drinking somewhere else is a pretty old tradition," Sherry says. "People eat and drink and build up community in the process. It's one last blowout before we hunker down for winter."

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This article also appeared in USA Today.

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