On Friday, Nov. 7, the University of Southern Indiana and the USI Athletics department hosted the First Friday Tailgate, ahead of the first double header of men’s and women’s basketball. The event was sponsored by the Center for Campus Life, Housing and Resident Life, along with the USI Foundation, which allocated resources and personnel to work the event. This tailgate was the first of its kind in the history of USI.
To enter the event, attendees were required to submit their names or provide other credentials. This was likely for two purposes: to ensure the count of attendees and for marketing and analytics purposes. It could be used to gauge public interest and to know how to allocate resources for similar events in the future.
At the tailgate, numerous activities were available to the public, like prize giveaways, an inflatable basketball hoop, cornhole boards, sign-making, putt-putt golf, and a turntable performance from DJ Brash. A wide variety of food and drink options were available to students and fans. Additionally, there was also a beer garden. To enter the beer garden, attendees had to show they were 21 and older with an identification. The beer garden sold Anheuser-Busch products like Busch Light, Budweiser, and Michelob Ultra, which could be purchased with a card or cash. However, alcoholic beverages could not be taken out of the beer garden, and were roped off with a belt barrier, a standard procedure used by the university at basketball games.
To gauge the campus reaction to the tailgate, The Shield conducted a poll regarding the general sentiment of the first tailgate. The poll, anonymously taken by 187 participants, gave three options to describe their reaction: positive, negative and neutral. The data collected showed that 24.06% had a positive sentiment, 25.7% showed negative sentiment and 50.3% were neutral.
The poll shows that there are certainly some improvements for growing student interest in future events, but it provides a benchmark to reach above and beyond. There were some external factors, such as weather, limiting how much of the event could be conducted outdoors, and pre-determined schedules.
In the future, the tailgate would likely grab more interest if it were on a Saturday morning or afternoon. This change would attract not only the campus community but also the Tri-State community. It would also bring in more revenue from the beer garden and potential merchandising sales, which is certainly an incentive for the university.
With all of that being said, the University of Southern Indiana is to be applauded for its effort to promote the basketball teams and the athletic program. The event was well-planned and executed. It is great to see the university making strides to create a fulfilling and unique fan experience for students on campus. I would not compare it to tailgating at Indiana University or Purdue University, as those are massive ventures with more resources allocated. However, this is a historic step in the right direction, and I certainly endorse events like this in the future. It is probably best that the university slowly, but surely, dips its toes into the pool, rather than hopping off the diving board. This will ensure marginal success with each iteration, while taking stock of what works and what doesn’t, and applying the feedback accordingly.
