The Tailgate Connect® Podcast — College Football, NFL & The Game Day Life Titelbild

The Tailgate Connect® Podcast — College Football, NFL & The Game Day Life

The Tailgate Connect® Podcast — College Football, NFL & The Game Day Life

Von: Tailgate Connect®
Jetzt kostenlos hören, ohne Abo

The go-to podcast for college football tailgates, NFL game day culture, and the people who make it legendary. If you live for the parking lot as much as the game, you're in the right place.


Every week host Luke Lorick brings you conversations with the tailgaters, hosts, operators, athletes, and personalities who define game day culture across America. Whether it's a 25-year tradition at the University of Texas, a sold-out pregame at SoFi Stadium, or a first-time host figuring out how to run a paid tailgate — we tell the stories that don't make the highlight reel but make the experience unforgettable.


We also cover the business side — how to host your own tailgate, how to sell tickets, how to build a community around your setup, and what it really takes to turn a passion into an operation.


Powered by Tailgate Connect — the easiest way to find and host tailgate events across the country.


New episodes every Thursday at tailgateconnect.com.

© 2026 The Tailgate Connect® Podcast — College Football, NFL & The Game Day Life
Management & Leadership Reiseliteratur & Erläuterungen Sozialwissenschaften Ökonomie
  • He Quit Counseling to Build a Tailgate Empire | Lee Thomas, Tailgate Party Committee
    Jun 11 2026

    Most people bring a cooler and some chairs. Lee brings inflatable houses, giant LED TVs, custom games, and Super Bowl ticket giveaways. The founder of the Tailgate Party Committee spent years as a high school counselor before deciding the parking lot was calling — and he answered by building one of the most over-the-top tailgating operations in the country.

    Lee joins Luke to walk through how a counselor's instinct for reading people and defusing conflict turned out to be the exact skill set a traveling nationwide tailgate empire needed. From coast to coast, in snow and heat, at NFL and college stadiums, Lee has turned the pregame into the main event.

    What we cover: From high school counselor to nationwide tailgate operator — the full origin story · Inflatable houses, giant LED TVs, and custom games at every stop · The High Five and Fist Pump cam that gets entire stadiums involved · Super Bowl ticket giveaways and how the logistics actually work · Why local food and culture are non-negotiable at every city · How a counseling background helps keep the peace at 500-person tailgates · What's next for the Tailgate Party Committee

    Follow Lee → @TailgatePartyCommittee on all socials

    Find tailgate events near you → tailgateconnect.com

    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    56 Min.
  • He Grills at First Base — Inside Banana Ball's Wildest Coach | Coach Bart, Texas Tailgaters
    Apr 9 2026

    He coaches first base in a floppy hat, short shorts, white Nikes, and a six-pack beer belt — while running a lit grill. Meet Coach Bart, the utility man of the Texas Tailgators, and the most authentically tailgate human being in professional sports.

    Andrew "Coach Bart" Bartman spent 12 years coaching college baseball, two years running the world's biggest baseball coaches convention, and six years as USA Baseball's Director of Coaching Development before landing exactly where he was always meant to be: grilling hamburgers at first base in front of thousands of screaming fans while simultaneously coaching base runners, assigning umpires, and running youth camps.

    This episode goes deep on what it's actually like to be part of the Banana Ball world — the pregame tailgates sponsored by HEB, the custom Coach Bart smoker that travels city to city, the 4.2 million people on the ticket waitlist, what the TV deal with ESPN and ABC looks like, the foster family visits with gift cards and no cameras, and why the "Get To" mindset changes everything.

    What we cover: How Coach Bart went from USA Baseball to cooking at first base · The floppy hat, short shorts, and beer belt origin story · The HEB sponsorship and pregame tailgates at Texas games · A lit grill at first base — Jesse Cole's actual instructions · 4.2 million on the ticket waitlist and how the K Club works · Every Banana Ball game is free on YouTube, always · Banana Ball on ESPN, truTV, CW, and a primetime ABC slot · Foster family gift basket visits — no cameras, no PR · The custom Coach Bart smoker with hot dog dampers · Favorite tailgate food: ribeye, olive oil, butter, Kinder's SPG · Favorite drink: Natty Light, no apologies · Dream tailgate guest: John Kruk

    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    43 Min.
  • Cornhole Is Going to the Olympics — and Paying Six-Figure Salaries | Athena Delgado, ACL
    Mar 26 2026

    Cornhole started as a backyard game people played at tailgates. Today it's on ESPN, it's paying six-figure salaries, and it's pushing for the Olympics. Athena Delgado, National Director of Player Engagement for the American Cornhole League, joins Luke to explain how that happened — and why cornhole and tailgating will be inseparable for generations to come.

    Luke and Athena have history — they judged a cornhole trick shot competition on ESPN's The Ocho, then teamed up for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl tailgating challenge in Tucson. In this episode they break down the full rise of the ACL, what professional cornhole actually looks like, how to get involved at any level, and why 80% of tailgaters name cornhole as their favorite game.

    What we cover: How cornhole became a professional sport on ESPN · The Olympic push and what it means for the game · ACL pro player salaries and the competitive circuit · The tailgating challenge competition at the Arizona Bowl · How to join the ACL and start competing · The cornhole app and where to find tournaments

    Mehr anzeigen Weniger anzeigen
    51 Min.
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
Noch keine Rezensionen vorhanden