If you ask veteran tailgaters like John Richardson, much has changed over the years in the world of LSU football’s favorite pastime. Gone are the days when tailgaters could pull up to any grassy, shaded spot in the campus interior and lay claim to a choice location to pregame. Prime tailgating real estate has become increasingly restrictive due to expanding rules and pricy parking passes, die-hards say.
“It’s certainly a different dynamic,” says Richardson, who 225 interviewed for this recent cover story on tailgating. The avid outdoor cook recalls sleeping overnight in a hammock at the Parade Ground to save spots for the gathering, when he started tailgating 35 years ago. “Now you have to pay for parking, and every year you see LSU encroach a little bit more on where you can tailgate,” he says.
Read the full story from the latest edition of 225 magazine about how tailgating has changed over the decades.
