Hot dog buns, $3 per package. Ballpark Franks, $4. Relish, ketchup and mustard, $5. Texas Tech tailgating, $1,500... minimum.
Though fans seeking to tailgate near Jones AT&T Stadium paid more for parking and tailgating passes this year, all spaces around the stadium are completely sold out for the 2008 season.
Last year, it took a $3,000 donation to the Red Raider Club to park in the western parking lot adjacent to the home stands, said Steve Uryasz, Tech senior associate athletic director. It cost $4,000 to purchase the same spot this year.
On the east side of the stadium, parking will cost a $1,500 minimum donation per spot as opposed to last year when a $600 minimum donation and a point system determined whether or not tailgaters got their own spot, he said.
Bringing your own grill or large-scale entertainment system? Double the price. Because some tailgating items are too big to fit in a parking space along with a vehicle, some tailgaters purchase two or more spots. Although this is nothing new, the escalation in parking pass prices is hitting the pocketbook harder.
"I've heard a lot of complaints," said Bill Dean, the executive vice-president and CEO of the Tech Alumni Association. "It's just normal. When you increase the price of anything you hear complaints."
Uryasz said he believes Tech football's increased publicity is attracting fans to the stadium.
"I think, based on the excitement associated with our football team this year, that we will have more tailgaters around campus than ever before," he said. "We are 100 percent sold out of parking spots around the stadium."
Uryasz said all donations for parking passes benefit the Red Raider Scholarship Fund, which pays tuition and fees for Tech's student-athletes on scholarship.
While fans with RVs may park in the stadium lots late Friday afternoon, Uryasz said, tailgating generally starts early in the morning on game days and tailgaters consist mostly of Tech alumni and major local corporations who own suites inside the stadium and some of their clients.
Tomorrow, students may be disappointed to learn that a traditional tailgating venue, RaiderGATE in the R1 parking lot, is not scheduled for the first game of the season.
In a joint decision, the Student Government Association and the Tech Activities Board decided to have only five RaiderGATE's for six home games this season, said James Baumgartner, internal vice president of the SGA.
"We decided, because it's Labor Day weekend and a lot of students go home, that we would rather have five RaiderGATEs with bigger budgets than a sixth one," he said. "We also wanted all the new Tech students to experience the first RaiderGATE of the year because it's always one of the most fun."
Uryasz said there are other tailgating options for students. Miller Light will sponsor a tailgating event near Dan Law Field. Students age 21 and older will be allowed to drink in a designated "red zone" and tailgating is welcome in any general parking lot.
"We allow tailgating in every parking lot on campus," Uryasz said. "It's free to park in the United Spirit Arena lots and there's Raider Alley too."
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