Tailgating for Pride

Thesis: Robertson’s Stadium, in the University of Houston, expresses the pride and spirit of Houston, Texas through coming together for a common passion for sports.

Body: All the fans and people who come for the game share a common bond formed by prepping for the game together. The excitement heightens, the unity amongst supporters of the Houston Cougars grows under the radar, and the moral builds itself during these tailgates. Once the game is soon to start, many people begin to head out to the bleachers and grab seats before all the good spots are occupied. With Coog Crew, our sports supporting organization, next to the band and the cheerleaders below hyping everyone up, the moment for the first kickoff of the game grows nearer. Spontaneous fans jump up and get everyone up on their feet with another one of our school’s chants, bringing everyone together with a common hope. Not only students of the schools but alumni, parents, children and anybody else who wants to attend and support our team present themselves on game day. At that moment we all pride ourselves with being identified as the Cougars. We all come with the mindset that our team will win another victory, but the times when we experience a defeat together show another side of Houston because when people lose together, they are at their lowest point. When all moral is down and everyone’s head hangs low, we all share that experience together. As a whole we experience victory and triumph along with sadness and disappointment that only fuels us to come back stronger than ever to take back the lead. Although, we share losses, that does not deter us from trying again and coming back to the tailgates in belief of another victory.