Fans gather on the Great Lawn before the Arizona Cardinals vs. Washington Commanders game on Sept. 29, cooking and enjoying time with family and friends. (Photo by Patrick Holleron/Cronkite News)
The Arizona Cardinals cheerleaders help award the Tailgater of the Game with Four Peaks Brewing. (Photo by Patrick Holleron/Cronkite News)
GLENDALE – For fans of the Arizona Cardinals, tailgating outside State Farm Stadium is an experience like none other.
It’s also a bargain.
Many fans might not realize that the Cardinals offer the “best value for your buck” tailgating experience in the NFL at $158.07 for a group of four, according to Oddspedia.com, which typically provides data, tools and insight for sports fans and bettors but decided to delve into which teams provide the best value to tailgaters.
All fans tailgate for more or less the same reasons. It offers the ability to spend time with family and friends, eat great food, possibly enjoy libations, play games and share the love of football.
However, not all tailgates are created equal.
It turns out that the Cardinals are the most affordable option in the league for a group of four tailgaters.
To determine value, Oddspedia combined the cost of parking with the cost in each market for the most popular tailgating foods, drinks and snack items, such as cheeseburgers, hotdogs, chicken wings, chips and pretzels along with a 16-pack of beer, soda and water.
Cardinals fans have the added bonus of being able to gather on the stadium’s “Great Lawn,” a grassy expanse of more than eight acres, which also includes the BetMGM Sportsbook. And for those who don’t want to pack their own tailgating supplies, there is a pregame party at Heritage at Sportsman’s Park within the Great Lawn. The cost for the party, which includes food and an open bar, is $195 for adults and $95 for children ages 3-12.
The most expensive stadium for tailgaters? Levi Stadium, home of the Cardinals’ NFL West rival, the San Francisco 49ers, where fans can expect to dole out $292.33 for the average tailgate.
Despite the price tag, some Cardinals fans expect to be tailgating in Santa Clara for the Big Red’s game against the 49ers on Sunday. Surprisingly, the average tailgate’s steep price in the Bay Area isn’t deterring them from going to California to support their team.
Groups of fans sing karaoke, grill and cheer on the Arizona Cardinals under their canopies before the Sept. 29 game against the Washington Commanders. (Photo by Patrick Holleron/Cronkite News)
“Well, I am,” Tom Kimbro said when asked if he will attend the San Francisco game. “I like to follow the Cardinals when I can, so it’s hard to say right now, but I sure try the best I can.”
Kimbro knows a thing or two about a good fan experience. Kimbro, known as “The Ballpark Man,” visited 40 ballparks in 61 days and had attended 1,696 MLB games as of Oct. 2022.
He also tailgates at every home Cardinals game.
Kimbro said that tailgating is the only experience he gets now at State Farm Stadium because of the rising price of game tickets. He prefers to purchase lower-bowl seats and with the Cardinals becoming a better team in recent years, ticket prices have increased and the tailgating experience is the only game experience that is affordable for him.
“I was a 12-year ticket holder before, and they’re just getting so out of control with the (ticket) prices now,” Kimbro said. “I just can’t afford to buy the tickets for the two of us to go to the games anymore, but nothing will end tailgating. We will always be here tailgating.”
Even with the high prices of game tickets, many fans like Kimbro feel grateful for the tailgate’s affordability.
“Well, I think the pricing, being so low, is telling everybody here in Arizona that the franchise, the team, everybody wants (the fans) to come,” Kimbro said. “So they’re going to try the best they can to get as many fans as they can get here, and that’s why they’re pricing a little bit lower to meet that criteria.”
The price is just one small aspect of the tailgating experience, according to Wayne Hollock, a Cardinals fan.
“True tailgates bring together a lot of camaraderie with friends and family, and it’s no better than that when you can bring friends and family into the tailgate,” Hollock said before the Cardinals played the Detroit Lions Sept. 22. “Bring in outside enemies and bring them in from Detroit.”
Hollock was there with several friends, including Johnny Smith, a 14-year Cardinals season ticket holder, who has tailgated every game for eight years.
“All of these folks here were neighbors at one time, great friends and we just come together, and we’re building,” Smith said. “We’ve got four canopies this time, and we’re going to go nine next time. We love this. We plan this four or five days in advance every time. Absolutely, it’s affordable.”
Before the Cardinals played the Lions, Hollock and Johnny Smith attended the tailgate with their friends and family like usual. While sitting in the canopy, they met Henry Smith, a Lions fan whom Johnny now calls his long-lost brother.
Arizona Cardinals fans tailgate on the Great Lawn at State Farm Stadium, bringing ‘Positive Mojo Baby’ to the team before the game. (Photo by Patrick Holleron/Cronkite News)
Getting to know each other and spending time before the game, Johnny and Henry bonded over their military service and love for football. Two other Lions fans even serenaded the group with the Lion’s Fight Song just for having a fellow Lions fan sitting in the Cardinal canopy.
Moments like this show that the State Farm Stadium Great Lawn is not just for Cardinals fans; it’s for everyone. Marchel Wolverton, a Lions fan who attended the Sept. 22 game, said there’s a little rivalry between fans during the tailgate, but it’s all friendly.
She said the most enjoyable part of the tailgate was the fans, no matter what team they were rooting for, and “at the end of the day, people come together in the name of football.”
Celebrating their favorite team is just one aspect of the tailgate; meeting and connecting with fans from all over the world is what makes it unique.
“You know what? The best thing I enjoy about tailgating is all the fans here, not just from Arizona, from everywhere else,” Kimbro said. “Whoever we’re playing, everybody gets along so well here at tailgating. And that’s why it’s so much fun, with all types of people from every city wherever you come from.”
The sport brings people to these tailgates, and because of that, many of the Cardinals’ fans won’t be turned away by the price to tailgate at the 49ers Levi Stadium. The experience is evidently worth the price.
“If these folks come along, then absolutely, because it’s all about this,” Johnny Smith said, gesturing to his group when he was asked if he’d attend the upcoming 49ers game.
Tamott Wolverton, a Lions fan, has attended a tailgate at Levi Stadium before and tries to attend at least six Lions games during the season. He sees a tailgate as a luxury deal with different affordability levels.
Whether tailgaters bring multiple canopies and prepare a complete barbecue meal or just walk around with a small cooler, fans can decide how extravagant their tailgate will be, and how much they want to spend. Either way, it’s the experience that counts.
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“I would change the word, instead of cheapest, to ‘most fun-economical,’” said Tamott Wolverton. “Just come and have fun with it. It’s priceless. You’ll have memories. There’s little children around here, and they’ll remember coming to these tailgates as they get older, and then their families will do it.”
To Wolverton’s point, Johnny Smith said his group sometimes spends more than the average for Cardinals fans. He said they have spent almost $300 on tailgates before, depending on which food items they buy for the game.
While the Cardinals currently provide the best value, many Cardinals fans expect tailgating to become more expensive. According to Oddspedia, part of why the 49ers’ average cost is so high is their parking rate of around $132 and average food and drink cost of $160.33.
The Cardinals fandom pays an average of $3 for parking, which takes into account the lowest parking price around the facility. The average cost for groceries and beverages is $155.07. The Cardinals also offer tailgating parking spots for around $21, but it isn’t necessary for fans to park in those spots to have access to the Great Lawn.
Despite the over $100 disparity between the parking at Levi Stadium and State Farm Stadium, fans still find the tailgate priceless. Many even expect the prices to rise as the Cardinals team improves and with the stadium’s recent upgrades.
“I think the Cardinals are more affordable because the team is getting better,” Johnny Smith said. “In the bad years, it’s always cheaper, but if we win a Super Bowl, it’s going to get more expensive around here.”
This is especially true with Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who is healthier coming into his second season following an ACL tear, and the essential addition of wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. Any tailgating price is worth it to these fans to be able to pregame party and celebrate the Cardinals.
“I’ll tell you what. I’ve been to Kansas City. I’ve been to Chicago. I’ve been to Detroit. I’ve been to Denver (and) Seattle,” Kimbro said. “Arizona, right here, is the biggest tailgating area in the NFL, and I’ve been here for the Super Bowl tailgates, playoff tailgates; we also have the Fiesta Bowl playoffs here, and they have a tailgate for that as well.
“It’s a great time here in Arizona.”
