Best Fans In America: Working to Change the Culture of Tailgating

Tailgating at football games has become a college traditions.  Tailgating can be fun and truly enhance the fan experience. However, all too often high risk drinking during tailgating can result in alcohol poisoning, violence and vandalism.

The University of Missouri has taken a proactive approach to problematic tailgating. The Wellness Resource Center, in partnership with the Athletic Department and the Fan Behavior Task Force has created comprehensive social norming and environmental management strategies that have effectively decreased the high-risk drinking rate among Mizzou students and fans during home football games. 

This comprehensive social norms marketing campaign has involved a large variety of creative marketing such as sandwich boards, posters, banners, promotional items and mass emails to ensure significant exposure of the messages.

The tailgating environment has changed considerably at Mizzou. The Director of Athletics and the Chancellor of the University took the leadership to make our tailgating areas safer by closing down three very problematic student tailgating areas. This has served to send a message about expectations about responsible use of alcohol.  It has also dispersed student tailgating throughout the campus tailgating area instead of in one big concentrated area.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will learn how:

• to create a comprehensive social norms marketing campaign that addresses the environment in which fans drink;
• to build collaborative relationships with stakeholders;
• important support from the top is in creating lasting changes in the culture; and
• to gather data to support your efforts.