Students flock to tailgate, but not to experience the game

This scene unfolds before each of IU’s home football games and has come to overshadow the game itself, as many don’t attend afterward. \n“I just came to party,” said junior Brian Kesselman before the Sept. 1 game against Indiana State. He said his motivation is common among tailgaters.\nBut this mind-set angers some loyal fans who want the focus to be football and not pregame parties.\n“I think it’s crappy,” said freshman Samantha Budnik. “If you’re willing to come out here you should go to the game.”\nIU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said alcohol is a problem at every event where there is a high concentration of people.\nMinger added that every football game has some type of alcoholic incident, including the opening-day game on Sept. 1 when officers were making arrests as early as four hours before kickoff.\n“The responsibility we have at a football game is the same as any other event,” Minger said. “We look for incidents involving illegal activity or something that comes to bear on the safety and security of the people or property.”\nWith the passing of IU football coach Terry Hoeppner this summer, fan support means more than just crowd attendance to some loyal IU fans.\n“What makes me disappointed is that coach Hep always wanted the stadium full and we never did,” said senior Nick Brewer. “I want to fill the stadium for him as a memorial.”\nBrewer is not alone in his tribute to the former coach. The dismantling of Indiana State attracted 1,500 more people than last year’s average attendance.\nSenior Brian Monarch has been a season ticket holder for four years and has seen student attendance rise under Hoeppner.\n“It’s been getting better – more people are coming, but since Hep died I don’t know how it’s going to turn out,” Monarch said, adding bluntly, “People would rather be drunk.”\nLow fan turnout has been common for IU, which ranks 10th in the Big Ten and 69th of the 119 Division I schools for average attendance in 2006, according to the National Collegiate Athletic Association.\nThis might be partially due to the high number of students who support the team without ever entering the stadium.\nSenior Sarah Stonehouse said she requests off work on Saturdays so she won’t miss the tailgate.\n“It’s really important to tailgate and support IU’s football team,” Stonehouse said. “We’re here for a reason. The football players all know even if we’re not in the stadium there are like a thousand people outside supporting them.”\nMany students who don’t attend the game say they still root the team to victory regardless of where they are.\n“We’re all here to support Indiana, if you go to the game or not,” said freshman Logan Engels.\nIU football has not gone to a bowl game for 13 years and has not had a winning season since 1993, and to many students this is a part of the problem, but to others, such as sophomore Sean Barth, this is added incentive to help the team succeed.\n“Everyone comes here to tailgate,” Barth said. “People see it as going to a losing cause. But if they went to the games like they did for basketball then we would win for the same reason.”\nDespite any repercussions, tailgating does not appear to be going anywhere soon. In fact, it seems to have cemented its place among the students’ most popular traditions, which senior Samantha Tinsley said is a large reason students continue to attend.\n“It’s why you go to IU,” she said. “It’s fun to go to IU because everyone loves it. It’s a big part of the school. It’s a sense of unity. You go to college to find yourself, but you also go to find who you are going to hang out with.”