SoFi Stadium draws backlash after surprising policy about tailgating for national championship
SoFi Stadium has already eliminated one of the trademark elements to a college football game.
Ahead of the national championship game on Monday between TCU and Georgia, as part of the announcement for parking, a message notes that, “Tailgating will not be allowed in any SoFi Stadium parking lot.” RVs also will not be allowed to park at SoFi Stadium.
The game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday on ESPN.
So no parking lot tailgating for the natty?
Be better California. pic.twitter.com/ZLemrGYR02
— Jake Crain (@JakeCrain_) January 4, 2023
Here is a sample of the reaction from college football fans:
There is one lot (Pink Zone) you can usually tailgate in at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
But there is NO TAILGATING ANYWHERE AT THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!
With college football culture like this, it ain’t surprising that the PAC-10 hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016.
— Eric Teusink (@EricTeusink) January 4, 2023
Stan Kroenke hosting the National Championship at SoFi Stadium and not allowing tailgating is par for the course with everything we know about him. Zero sports knowledge, completely out of touch with fans, just a decrepit and insufferable pocket full of change https://t.co/zGfBMnvhay
— Thomas Welch (@twelcher15) January 4, 2023
No tailgating at Sofi stadium? That’s as bad as not allowing a bear shit in the woods!! What type of sorcery is this!?!
— Chip-e Le Six-e Natty & SEC ? Champs (@J_T_G_Sic_Em) January 4, 2023
Sofi Stadium will not allow tailgating for the national championship. Horrible decision
— College Football Headlines (@CFBHEADLINES) January 4, 2023
There’s no way that rule will be enforced.
— David Street (@David_Street17) January 4, 2023
No tailgating at a college football game. That crowd won’t be worth much. Lol
— Shamichael Thompson (@M1k3WilDE) January 4, 2023
i’ve always said California has the best college football atmospheres in the country
— Dupie AKA “Big Pooc” ?? (@QUAAAAD) January 4, 2023
They only drink White claws, a little white girl drink
— Haunted Hunter (@HunterThorpe14) January 4, 2023
LA doesn’t know how to football.
Wait, football is still legal in Kalifornia? I’m sure that will be fixed soon enough.
Kroenke being Kroenke. C’mon Sankey, flex that muscle we hear and read so much about…
idk, i’m thinking you and adam spencer may have some more pull…being fellow alums and all
Sorry, but I must have missed the one article describing my pull due to the plethora describing Sankey’s. Lol, was it good?
California is the lamest place to exist. CFP games should be disallowed from being in cali from now on.
Please fall into the ocean…..
Just 1 more reason to not bother ever entering the state of California.
ABC……Anywhere But California…..
They want to drive fans into restaurants and bars rather than have them haul ten slabs of ribs from Texas.
Restaurants and bars that are still enforcing mask wearing.
Are they?
That is not their job. Their job is to give every attending fan the best experience possible. It’s also not like all 70,000 fans will be tailgating. Another small fact is that they allow tailgating at Charger games so why change the rules?
Probably because they can control Chargers tailgaters. Take away their paid spot and/or revoke season tickets for bad behavior. I’m certain Chargers tailgaters are far more likely to buy their supplies locally more so than then championship game tailgater. The other issue that neither of us have considered is the availability of RV parking and/or electrical outlets.
Your arguments don’t hold water. I’m certain that most tailgaters from Georgia & TCU aren’t bringing their own food. The issue that you didn’t know about is that the stadium HAS RV/electric outlets for the NFL tailgaters. There are zero reasons for allowing tailgating at both the Charger & Rams games but not the NC.
@Darth A I know three RV owners/tailgaters very well – two Alabama, one Auburn. All THREE buy their supplies in advance. The Auburn tailgater was my insurance agent. He explained his game weekends to me. He said they don’t carry a second vehicle with them. Some do, many do not. Once they park the RV, they are settled in for the weekend. The RV takes some time to set-up. If they were entering and exiting the parking area, it’s a big to do.
And yet… restaurants and bars in every college town in America are booming on game day in spite of tailgating. Typical California anti free-market mentality… treat consumers like idiots and take away their choices. California is clueless when it comes to college football culture.
why in the world would you allow a NC game to be held somewhere that cant/wont accomodate the fans. Disgraceful by all parties involved. California… figures. california has been a disgrace for so long…
There’s something truly screwed up about a state that works so hard at taking all the joy out of life!
I hope the SEC takes note of this and vetoes all stadiums in California from ever hosting another NC game. We’ll still have to put up with the now-annual Rose Bowl playoff game. Hopefully, it’ll be a regional affair most seasons, which will be OK for all those tofu eating, joy killers on the left coast.
It is not the SEC’s decision, but then, you know that…the CFP final location is a high bid NCAA approved scenario just like the Final 4 Bball torunament finale is…
Title game is in Houston next year, then 2025 and 2026 are listed as TBD.
The SEC needs to get moving and get those title games in New Orleans, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, or Jacksonville.
yeah, you’d think the above position concerning the objection as to any form of tailgating would be resounding and lead against any future cfp games there
’25 & ’26 are scheduled for Atlanta and Miami…
very good then
If the SEC truly had that kind of muscle then how did it ever end up in LA in the first place? Warm climate has the muscle in these matters, the SEC obviously doesn’t.
There’s plenty of warm climate in Phoenix and Las Vegas to cover the geographical requirement to have the game played out west every so often. They really don’t need to give anybody in California another shot at killing some more of the joy of college football!
California can host the Superbowl every year, as far as I’m concerned. The w o k e, No Fun League pairs beautifully these days with the land of fruits and nuts!
I’m truly shocked at all your negative comments about Sankey & the SEC. That is so out of character for you. I would love to know if you were as negative about the conference y’all used to belong.
It’s truly shocking to see an anti Sankey & SEC post from you. Did you act the same way in y’all’s old conference? I really would like to know why you do nothing but slam the SEC? It’s a well run conference which competes nationally in most sports? It’s pays each institution equally and pays them well. So, just what is the problem?
“The SEC needs to get moving and get those title games in New Orleans, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, or Jacksonville.”
Please explain to me how that makes any sense at all, other than being even more SEC blowhard, false entitlement drivel. That’s all you have to do darth. Or you can just fall back on more ad-hominem.
Booches, you fired the 1st shot at Sankey. So why not answer darth’s question instead of deflecting? And you know this is modus operadi for you on this site. It’s OK to have your opinion, darth is just asking why?
@JTF: Contrary, I replied to the first shot with a question that has yet to be answered. Darth wont answer it you can give it a shot. If the SEC truly had that kind of muscle then how did it ever end up in LA in the first place?
Mizzou fans are so accustomed to mediocre coaches and very few victories they blame the SEC and Sankey for their own problems. Drink’s records will be 6-6 as long as he’s there. Go cry in your beer Mizzou fans & get a new AD too.
AFAN: Here’s the question everyone is deflecting from, yourself included. If the SEC truly had that kind of muscle then how did it ever end up in LA in the first place? Answer it.
Booches you whine about people deflecting questions while simultaneously deflecting questions. I’m not sure why Missouri being in the SEC has you so distressed.
It has NOTHING to do with SEC muscles, Booch. Never has, never will. The venue of the championship game is selected based on bids submitted by cities, just like for the Super Bowl or Final 4…LA bought the game and the NCAA was to blinded by highest bidder greed to check the contract for a common sense tailgating policy, which I understand was not a part contract.
@Leghumper: Agreed, the SEC has no pull in it, regardless what GatorPhil, darth, and anyone else who needs to pretend just to feel superior.
Booches: every post from from you is anti-SEC. You actually never asked me a question but I’ll answer your general question. The SEC is just one conference that has a vote. Why would they be a bully and say my way or the highway on everything. I’m sure that Sankey is smart enough to know that many SEC fans live all around the country and would enjoy a game close by. He is also smart enough to know that it is in College footballs best interest to allow every part of the country to participate.
Now, please tell me why you are so Anti-SEC. Were you this way in your old conference? My opinion is that you don’t like how it gets pointed out that Mizzu doesn’t compete well in the SEC. I believe that Mizzu is the only school as a SEC member not to win a NC in a team sport.
Booches: I never said the SEC had that power. Never implied it. After your anti SEC post I asked why? Sorry about taking so long to reply but I work from 2 pm to 4 am and can only reply when work allows. What is your excuse for still not answering my question.
Why do you think Sankey or the SEC wants to keep the game in SEC territory? It’s been in Northern California. It’s been in Indy. And other places. I would imagine Sankey wants it where the be venue offers the most money.
Your sarcasm in the 1st comment is silly.
Great question. I don’t, but GatorPhil obviously does, he’s the one who’s saying the SEC needs to get moving and make sure Title games are played in SE cities only. That would be a great question to ask him instead, you should reply and ask him.
All that aside, the question you won’t answer is why so much distain for Sankey and the SEC?
“If the SEC truly had that kind of muscle then how did it ever end up in LA in the first place? Warm climate has the muscle in these matters, the SEC obviously doesn’t.”
That is the reply I wrote which every one of you can’t seem to handle. It seems simply suggesting the reality of the situation instead of just blindly chest pumping the SEC is ‘disdain’. I know I’ve been hard on Sankey in the past, but I’m by far not the only one, even on these boards. I just happen to have a Mizzou moniker Lol, so be it.
Booches: Thanks for answering my question without answering. I was right about your inferiority complex. Other people are anti Sankey but y’all don’t like my posts because of my moniker. Here is another viewpoint. They just don’t like your constant SEC bashing. Maybe they don’t like that you keep the same bashing even when FACTS show you wrong.
Moniker: Noun..Informal. Your moniker is Booches94 and most people don’t know you named yourself after a restaurant/bar/pool hall that serves the best burger you ever had. I doubt that’s why people disagree with you. Are you trying to blame the logo?
Yep, and I’d throw Nashville and Dallas in there too
Isn’t Nashville talking about building a domed stadium?
Jacksonville would be awesome. Such a college football town.
This ish won’t happen when the new Titans stadium opens up in Nashville.
clearly a situation where someone is trying to show how big and powerful they are, when in actuality they’re showing how small they are
Anyone who wants to tailgate should pretend they’re either a drug user or homeless and they’ll be left alone. Put you grill inside a shopping cart.
Somewhere Jed Clampett is turning over in his grave.
Those fruit loops in LA are “thicker than crows in a corn patch”, as Jed would say.
Watch it with the slur, would ya
Jed Clampett is a slur now?
What’s the slur, QVol?
the slur is “brokeback”
Somewhere Jed Clampett is turning over in his grave.
I can see this being a much bigger deal if LSU and Wisconsin fans would be going.
Why is Cali allowed to host a game of this magnitude & take away a HUGE element of the College Football atmosphere?
Is it because Cali college football is irrelevant?
It’s because they waited until now to announce they are shutting down the tailgating. Something tells me that if that had been a condition spelled out in their bid to host this game, the bid might have been rejected.
Most everything in California is irrelevant now except the hordes of illegals draining the state of resource$.
Tailgating should have been protected in the contract documents. Major failure at the executive level.
True. And there should be a strong lesson learned here.
I love the California mentality, thank goodness they are so much more enlightened than the rest of this insufferable country. Another positive step for humanity, tailgaters are nothing but deplorable, aren’t they Nancy?
You won’t have to worry about it though my man. You will be able to tailgate all you want in the Rose Bowl with no one to bother you
Good point, palley…lol, didn’t think about that! I wonder if N8rg8r will sell me my tickets back?
California is dead. It was a suicide.
California bad, California blah, blah…5th graders will have better arguments.
This was decided from a billionaire owner of the stadium.
California has many great professional and college sports teams who have tailgating. SMTH
So why not allow the CFB title game?
Define a CA tailgating…
A pre-arranged Alain Ducasse “food truck” airlifted to SoFi stadium where silicone valley millionaires and billionaires gather to discuss their angst whether UCLA or USC will ring the “Victory Bell”?
Go Dawgs. Tailgate anyway.
Stan “Married-Well” Walton-Kroenke is a total richard cranium.
John McClain said it best. “F$%!ing California.”
UGA grads suffer from lack of compression… Did you pass 1st grade?
California did not come up with the rule, but the stadium owner who paid for building it $4.9 billion!!!
comprehension
Speaking of compression let’s talk about the tax breaks the state of California and city of Inglewood circumvented the citizens in approving…you would think the state and/or city could persuade the owner to honor the time stamped tradition of tailgating, wouldn’t you?