JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
When the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl this Sunday, a third of the country may be watching. Football is one of the few things that can bring people together in this divided nation. And there is nothing like that uniquely American tradition, the tailgate. NPR's Frank Langfitt dropped in on one for the Eagles a couple of weeks ago, ahead of the last big game between the birds and the Super Bowl.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEY YA!")
OUTKAST: (Vocalizing).
FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: The parking lots outside Lincoln Financial Field this recent Sunday felt like a carnival - people tossing footballs, grilling. There's this guy pressing oranges for drinks on the back of his pickup.
JAMIE PAGLIEI: Birds all day, baby.
LANGFITT: Superfan Jamie Pagliei wears a green mohawk and face paint. He's certain the birds will beat the Washington Commanders today.
PAGLIEI: We going to the Super Bowl. Yeah.
(SOUNDBITE OF METAL CLINKING)
LANGFITT: Of course, no Eagles tailgate would be complete without cheesesteaks.
In this case, at least 30 to 40 pounds' worth.
ED CALLAHAN: Ed Callahan - I'm a retired naval officer. I live in Philadelphia.
LANGFITT: This is Ed's tailgate. He's got a huge RV. His crew serves breakfast, an omelet with Philly cream cheese and those cheesesteaks for lunch. Today, he will feed about a hundred people.
How long you been doing this, Ed?
CALLAHAN: This is our 21st season doing this here.
LANGFITT: And who's paying for all of this? And do you charge money?
CALLAHAN: No, we don't charge money. This is all hospitality.
LANGFITT: Meaning core tailgate members pitch in - Callahan spent about $5,000 out of his pocket this season.
How many of these people do you know?
CALLAHAN: Probably about half of them. But the rest are friends of friends.
LANGFITT: One of those friends is Kenny Justice.
KENNY JUSTICE: Well, I was born into this. I've been coming to - by my uncle's and my next-door neighbor and my friends' since I was 5 or 6. Football in Philadelphia isn't just a game. It's all this.
LANGFITT: Justice sees tailgating as an escape with friends and strangers filled with joy and a shared love for the Eagles.
JUSTICE: There's nothing like this in the world. I - you know, I own a business. I have to be professional all week. Yeah, you're dealing with your family. I'm a father. But then you get to come down here, and you get to act like you're a crazy kindergartner. For myself, I'm 59. Ed's, like, 104, I think.
LANGFITT: Ed is actually 78. It's easy to dismiss tailgate culture. But here's the part of our story where we step away from the fun for just a moment and talk to an expert about what all this really means. Tonya Williams Bradford at the University of California Irvine has studied tailgating for years. She sees it as a kind of Thanksgiving outdoors.
TONYA WILLIAMS BRADFORD: What's really fascinating about the tailgate is that we bring the home to the outside. And why do we do that? It's because we're welcoming others in to our experience. And there's no better way to do that than to set up a living room or a lounge area and a kitchen right there outside of the stadium.
LANGFITT: And Bradford says tailgating provides something many people are missing these days.
BRADFORD: People are investing thousands of dollars to do this over the course of a season, and what they get out of it is community. We're living in an age where people may not know their next-door neighbor, but these teams bring folks together in ways that is not easily replicated.
LANGFITT: It's also about family and tradition. Back at the tailgate, Kenny Justice introduces me to his son, Roman, who's 14.
ROMAN: I have watched many games forever. And my dad - he kind of forced it down my throat but in, like, the friendly way.
LANGFITT: Roman says the games are an opportunity to bond with his dad.
ROMAN: My best memory is kind of recent, actually. It's when Saquon Barkley hurdled the dude backwards.
LANGFITT: Barkley is the Eagles' star running back. On one play, he spun around and hurdled the defender backwards, one of the year's biggest highlights.
ROMAN: It was crazy to watch - everyone crazy. And my dad - looked at each other, like, this is awesome.
LANGFITT: Kenny Justice says the tailgate also allows people to look past their differences if only for a few hours.
JUSTICE: I got friends here who I've known for years. I have no idea who they voted for. I don't care. This tailgate in particular, everybody's welcome.
LANGFITT: As Callahan puts it, on this Sunday morning, there's only one party - the green party.
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting) E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles.
LANGFITT: Frank Langfitt, NPR News, South Philadelphia.
(SOUNDBITE OF TOO SHORT SONG, "BLOW THE WHISTLE") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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