Global Sport Business Journal

Abstract
Attending sporting events is a popular leisure activity and people are willing to travel great distances to attend events. This phenomenon in the United States is a popular activity among college football fans that travel to participate in game-day activities which include both tailgating and attending the game. This study explored the demographics and motivations of fans that travel via recreational vehicles (RVs) to college football games. Data were collected at four universities (N = 206) in the Southeastern United States via in-person paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Five motivational factors explaining 64.9% of the variance emerged from an exploratory factor analysis: a) game attractiveness, b) achievement, c) escape, d) family, and e) group affiliation. The findings provide insight into the unique group of college football fans who are also tourists at some level. Understanding the RV tailgater will allow Convention and Visitor’s Bureaus (CVBs) and college athletic departments to meet the needs of this unique subculture within college football fandom. The findings are also relevant in that provide insight into a unique subculture of tourists that could possibly be applied to other sporting events.
Recommended Citation
Rode, Cheryl R. and Hardin, Robin
(2017)
"The RV Tailgater: A Unique Subculture of College Football Fans in the United States,"
Global Sport Business Journal: Vol. 5:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/gsbj/vol5/iss1/3
Tell us how this article helped you.