Game Day Party

What could be more American than an old-fashioned tailgate party, with a boatload of hardcore fans spending those precious pre-game hours getting their good time on? Let the giant foam fingers wave, let the suds run in rivers, as you celebrate victory and trash-talk your common enemy . . . the refs. What heart doesn't beat like a drum at the sight of refrigerator-sized manimals taking the field to the thunder of George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone" or Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll, Pt. 2"? And when you're down by three and the clock's running out, how better to demonstrate your dedication than Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'"?

In our Next Steps, we let the dogs out and get knocked down . . . but we get up again.

Everyone who's ever played the game, any game, knows half the battle is psychological, and the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out" and Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" let the other team know they're in distinctly unfriendly territory. Of course, when your team has fallen behind, a yabbo anthem like Chumbawamba's "Tubthumping" is the ideal pick-me-up, a call to arms to reclaim the lead that was rightly theirs if not for some bad calls, an injury or two, and the fact they're playing a better team.

In our Deep Cuts, we’ll rock you like a hurricane, and — na na na na, na na na na, hey, hey — kiss our Game Day goodbye.

Each score demoralizes the enemy further, and M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This," the Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane," or Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" accompanies the ref's call and the crowd's roar like grilled onions with bratwurst. As the score rolls up, Grand Funk Railroad's "Some Kind of Wonderful" testifies to your team's domination, and, finally, when the game's in the bag, nothing seals the thrill of victory — and the agony of defeat — better than the classic taunt from Steam, "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye."

It's as American as the Constitution: the inalienable right to celebrate your favorite team's home game with a quarter of your body weight's worth of chips, dip, brats, beer, burgers, buns, and beer. And maybe just an extra pony keg, in case the game goes into overtime. There's a uniform for this celebration, too: It consists of your team's jersey, barely covering a belly that could have its own zip code, a foam "#1" finger large enough to be seen from outer space, and, for the deeply committed (or perhaps just those who ought to be committed), team-color face paint. What's missing? Tunes! Our Game Day Essentials is here to help you celebrate every score, rub your opponents' faces in their inevitable defeat, and show the home team some love…even if you're in the cheap seats.