Making Cents of the Underlying Motives in a Ritual
Whenever I hear the word ritual, immediately I think of the ancient Indian tribes. For whatever
reason, the images that come to mind involve human sacrifices and the significant importance that this
had to their people. Throughout history many cultures have participated in various forms of rituals,
including the American culture, but what is the purpose of these rituals? Why do rituals seem to attract
such vast numbers of people? Drenten et al. believes that rituals are not all about fun, but many
underlying motives are driving them. In “Not Just a Party in the Parking Lot: An Exploratory Investigation
of the Motives Underlying the Ritual Commitment of Foot Tailgaters,” Drenten et al, explains their theory.
While rituals are fun, a significant amount of work goes into the events. So whether you are cashing in on
a little fun, out to have a good time, or trying to understand how both work in tandem; rituals are a lot
more complicated than they appear.
Cashing in on a Little Fun
Although rituals are repeated over time, it can be difficult to study the events without experiencing
them first hand. Some difficulties arose for Drenten et al. while studying the tailgaters, such as
distinguishing between the diehard fans and the ones who might only attend one or two tailgating parties
per year. Understanding a particular market is the key to marketing. After studying the tailgaters, they
concluded what the underlying motives of tailgaters were: involvement (preparation and participation),
social interaction (camaraderie and competition), identity (collectivism and individualism), and inter-
temporal sentiment (retrospection and prospect ion).
When someone mentions tailgating, an image of a party comes to mind. Drenten et al.,
understood that tailgating was not just about the fun. A significant amount of time was involved for the
participation and the preparation: from deciding your unique tailgating outfit, down to the choice of food,
who to invite, and the variety of equipment needed to make the event a successful one. Some
respondents even went the extra mile; Richard (tailgater) practiced loading and unloading his vehicle in
the offseason so he would be prepared for football season. The average person might not be aware, but
tailgating is rather competitive. A few of the respondents from the article routinely prepared meals themed
according to the opposing team‟s mascot. This is all in good fun, but be careful where you park your
vehicle. If someone happens to park in someone else‟s spot, things might get ugly. But for the most part,
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Drenten et al, gave the feeling that tailgating seems to bring out a sense of harmony and togetherness
among the fellow tailgaters. Numerous times throughout the article, the authors referred to people walking
up to strangers and sharing food and just having a good old time with fans of the same and even the
opposing team.
However, some tailgaters choose to be quite unusual in their actions. Not too many over-the-top
examples in this article where mentioned, but it did refer to a couple more common practices. One
referred to a man who wears pants covered in his team‟s logo. The other examples were various ways
tailgaters make signs to mark their territory. These examples show that tailgating gives people a chance
to be individuals, a form of identity. Without tailgating, these people might be considered unusual, but
expressing themselves within a larger group lets them be included in the bond with other fellow football
tailgaters across America. Often times after a game, “when respondents spoke of the team they
supported, they often used the first person plural pronoun „we„(i.e. „we lost‟ instead of „they lost. „(102))
They felt as if they were truly part of it. Some tailgaters are very suppositious when it comes to the
games. One respondent had a temperature of 102 degrees but would not miss the game due to the fact
that he would personally take the blame if his team lost.
While not everything about the ritual of tailgating involves people acting crazy and unusual, there
are many factors that keep people coming back, such as the inter-temporal sentiment motive that goes
into it. The article talked about how rituals seem to bring a great deal of retrospection according to the
participants. Many of them compared tailgating to other traditions they perform routinely in their lives,
such as Thanksgiving and going to church on Christmas Eve. Some of the participants explained that
attending the games helped bring back their childhood years and tried to emulate the tailgating
experience that had a child. But some of these tailgaters, while trying to live in the past, are not showing it
with their multi-million dollar motor homes, flat screen televisions, and satellite dishes. However, not
everyone does it this way; some just simply enjoy being outdoors and doing it like they did as a child.
The Guys
An activity that I par take in involves various family members. The bear, the kid, the old, and I:
when the four of us get together, excitement, frustration, and fierce competition is sure to follow. The bear
(my uncle), the kid (bear‟s son, my cousin), the old man (my father), and I are the four members who
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routinely attend the games. Since I can remember, we have been getting together once or twice a year to
enjoy each other‟s company, but mostly for the competition. Games you say? As childish as it seems, and
as ridiculous as things turn out, it is definitely one heck of a time. Imagine a chilly February day with
three-four inches of snow on the ground and you are outside playing golf. Not only is finding your ball
almost impossible, the worst part is the loser gets punished. Often times the loser of the golf match has to
jump in the creek. Let me tell you, it is cold, I lost a few times. But this is just the beginning of our much
anticipated weekend. My uncle Ted (who is 78 years of age) might be the most competitive person I have
ever met. His favorite saying is, “I hope you came to play. “ If you are not, you will be once your skin
touches the water. Then we take things inside for a game of soccer, to let the losers warm up a little. But
the old men cheat like you would not believe, only adding to your frustration. Next we take it to the weight
room for a round of foot soccer, which is similar to mini-golf but played with your feet. The loser of this,
however, has to run around the building with their shoes and shirt off while getting pelted with snow balls,
followed by various games that inevitably lead to someone getting punished. The games continue
throughout the weekend, until it is time to say our goodbyes.
The Theory behind the Games
Throughout the article, Drenten et al, makes their theory on rituals very easy to understand and
easy to compare it to my own experience. In the past, I just assumed we got together to have a good
time. While this may be true, many more motives go into our events. The more I thought about it, the
more the four factors presented in the article became clear.
When it comes to the games, social interaction is the most obvious of the four. Not only is the title
of our ritual called “The Games”, but competition is the reason for us getting together. Never, that I can
remember, have we gotten together for anything besides these events. Since the games we play are so
unique, a lot of equipment is needed. My uncle is in charge of putting everything together, so I never
understood the amount of involvement needed to get everything prepared. It is funny to see him walking
in with bags and bags of odd looking objects that he wants to incorporate into the events. Although I
always just laughed about it, without the involvement my uncle puts into it, “The Games” would most likely
not be as exciting.
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Recently we got an opportunity to meet with family members in Washington D.C. for a day of
games. Unknowingly, my father brought matching shirts for all of us to wear. This seemed rather odd at
the time. After reading the article, his possible motive was to give us a form of identity without knowing it.
In the article, the authors refer to the tailgating experience. They write, “While tailgaters seek to connect
with their tailgating community, they also show evidence of their quest for self-identity through
individuality” (102). According to Drenten et al, having an identity is a must have for anyone who
participates in a ritual.
The final motivational factor of a ritual is inter-temporal sentiment and is very noticeable when we
get together. Each time we see each other, countless stories come up about their past and previous
encounters. This is very similar to when Drenten et al. refers to a pattern that many participants of rituals
have. They write, “They are committed to the Tailgating ritual as a way to connect with their own personal
histories” (102). But it is very special to me; it gives me an opportunity to learn about my father‟s past,
which he normally does not express when my uncles are not around.
Conclusion
Many times growing up I would ask my father, “Why do you do this [referring to the games],” not
understanding why they acted so weird whenever they got together. But as I grew older, I started to
understand the more unique they made the game, the more interesting the stories would be next time we
got together. I can remember to this day, crying as a child, because no matter how hard I tried I would
always lose. But looking back, those were some of the best times of my life. My uncle is quickly
approaching 80 so the games are a little challenging for him. The past few times we got together were a
little more special, knowing that when he passes will most likely be the end of the games. “The Games”
has many qualities that are present in the ritual of tailgating, such as competition, camaraderie, and the
sentimental value. How many times in life can you truly just kick back and enjoy yourself, and do
something you want to do without having to worry about who is looking over your shoulder? A sentence
from the article I enjoyed was, “Contrary to the old adage, „If you built it, they will come‟, tailgating
provides an opportunity for fans to come and built „it‟ themselves”(105). Perhaps this is why rituals are so
popular, especially tailgating. They give people an opportunity to create their own identity, a chance to
catch up with old friends and be part of a group setting.
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