Quality Time: The Economos Family

01/08

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re aware Tailgating has been around for longer than most of us remember. What I bet you didn’t know was that tailgating’s been with us well over a century. In the last fifteen years it has literally exploded into one of the most sought after sports demographics in the entire marketplace. At first glance one might say “Yeah, I can see it for NASCAR and Football, but it’s just a seasonal pastime.

Tailgating in not necessarily about the Race or Game, it is merely the catalyst for something much bigger. Tailgating is not just about sports. Tailgate parties are also commonplace at rock concerts, with a massive following of Jimmy Buffet’s Parrotheads, Country Music Giant Kenney Chesney and more. So, yeah, it’s getting to be a big deal and in the last year or so you’ve seen national marketers stretch their neck a bit in an attempt to corral this elusive marketplace. In the media business you can buy a list of damned near anything from painters to printers and everything in between. You can buy a list of Americans with incomes over $500,000.00 per year but- you cannot buy a list of tailgaters. There is no SIC or “Standard Industry Code”. That is part of our mission in bringing you the only magazine written by tailgaters for tailgaters. It is our intention to tell you exactly who these people are, what their buying habits are and to generally be the conduit that fills the void between the tailgaters, who are on the prowl for products that are designed especially for them and the firms that have products and services that cater to them.

While it has been written, and certainly disputed, football seems to have a reasonably strong claim to the first tailgate party. While there may be some debate and more than a little about the start, what cannot be disputed is the fact that tailgating is quite simply the catalyst for the party and it’s growing like a brush fire in a thirty mile an hour wind.. Be it Baseball, Basketball, High School Football, Bar-Gating or our own backyard, tailgating has arrived in a such a viral way, that research suggests as many as 50 million people will tailgate in 2008.

More? In 1986 Jeff Krulik and John Heyn produced the video documentary Heavy Metal Parking Lot. The film captured heavy metal music fans tailgating in parking lots across the Mid- Atlantic. Jimmy Buffet and his famed Parrotheads have a huge tailgate following at their concerts. Now the question is who ain’t? Not so much who is?

Tailgating has now been seared into the American sports fan’s consciousness- and it’s only just beginning. Marketers like Honda Power Equipment, Kingsford Charcoal, Coleman, Camping World and many, many more are firing millions at this much sought-after demographic. So- after realizing what this great thing called tailgating was all about- we decided to take a short road trip to see just exactly who these tailgaters were.

Recently on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the third weekend in October we thought we’d drop into a tailgate located squarely in the mid- town campus of Georgia Tech University. As my partner and I rolled into the parking lot where the 45 foot Motor Coach, Eagle Rock One, was docked, I thought to myself, “this is the kind of tailgating I like” ( as if I any ran into any I didn’t). The “Rock” had made the short journey down from its home at the Eagle Rock Distributing Company in Stone Mountain, GA that morning. The Eagle Rocks guys handle Budweiser and related products for the Atlanta metro area and they do one heck of a fine job. The “Rock” is usually manned by Keith Palmer, Operations Manager, Ben David, Draft Driver or Chris Jones, On-Premise Manager.

The Eagle Rock Boys make all Georgia Tech home games and they really love their job. The “Rock” arrives at most home games about three hours before kick-off and usually stays a couple hours afterwards. The coach itself is a 1997 Van Hoo. GVW is over 47,000 pounds and the overall length is in excess of 45 feet. Fuel Capacity is 245 gallons and the “Rock” is amply powered by a 500 horsepower Detroit Diesel and two generators. The “Rock” has a reinforced deck up top with a railing system designed to fly the American Flag along with a minimum of four additional “team flags”. The custom Budweiser paint job cost in excess of $36,000.00 and looks like it could have been twice as much. The “Rock” has a full satellite system and features two flat screen high definition TV’s, one inside and one out. The Coach can comfortably accommodate sixteen passengers.

Eagle One touches down early Saturday mornings in the fall on the downtown Atlanta campus of Georgia Tech University. The luxury motor coach is indeed a popular destination for tailgaters- Yellow Jackets fans as well as opponents.

Behind the wheel of Eagle One you’ll find Palmer, David, Jones or even one of the Economos brothers, Steve 28, Nick 27, or Mike 23. Fourth son, Andrew is busy weekends in Tampa as a member of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Bucs. Dad, John and Mom, Colleen complete the crew.

The family is in every sense a microcosm of the American Dream. All the boys were heavily involved in sports while growing up. Football, Baseball and Basketball were the sports of choice. In a family like this one — competition is a built-in fact of life — and there is plenty of it.

As we roll into the parking lot, we see a couple dozen fans gathered around the 32 inch flat screen built into the side of the Eagle. Game on is Alabama vs. Tennessee and the Tide is rollin’. The Volunteers will wind up winning the SEC West, but you’d never know it by the way the Tide is pounding them. The score gets out of hand in fairly short order and we turn our attention to the tailgate.

The Eagle has a side out feature that allows for great viewing of the screen and a brief respite from the wicked Georgia sunshine. Massive coolers are four deep against the side of the Eagle and they do not stay closed long. Tech is facing Army today and the game is well underway. The Jackets are having their way as we join the crew for refreshments and some great fried chicken. The coolers are loaded with the new “metal bottles”, which seem a bit larger and a bunch colder. In fact they are sixteen ouncers- and they are delicious. The family when not tailgating or watching son Andrew play for the Tampa Bucs enjoys hunting. Steve has been kind enough to share his favorite recipe with us: Elk Kabobs (see right). The Family has also shared quite a few of their hunting photos with us as well. Just don’t ask them exactly where their hunting spot is. This spot is not for you.

This Bud is. If you’re ever around the mid-town Atlanta campus, on a fall Saturday keep your eye out for the “Rock”. You can’t miss it and as far as an outstanding tailgate it’s as good as any.

The Economos family has indeed captured the American Dream. They work together, play together and they actually have tailgating in their job description. John and guys, This Bud’s For You. Great Job.