Oklahoma opens Lindsey Street for tailgating
Lindsey Street is open for business.
The University of Oklahoma announced Tuesday that tailgating on Lindsey Street will be allowed for the 2023 football season. This news comes after the university banned tailgating on Lindsey Street in 2017, after the completion of the new residential dorms.
Tailgating at Oklahoma football games has been a topic of discussion among fans for some time. Many believe OU’s tailgating scene needs massive improvements. And with the Sooners heading to the SEC in 2024, the university knows it has to improve its gameday atmosphere.
“You all saw some of the drama over the last couple of years over this,” OU president Joe Harroz told SoonerScoop.com on June 14. “So it seemed like it was the right time even if we weren’t going to the SEC to take a look at our policy. And see does it provide the best fan experience? Does it create the right safe environment? And the balance of those two. But with us going to the SEC, it was important to not just check in for a routine check, but look at it pretty deeply.”
Re-opening Lindsey Street is a step in the right direction for Oklahoma tailgating. And it’s something that’s been on the mind of Harroz and others for some time. For many in the athletic department, banning tailgating on Lindsey Street was never supported. And since then, many have pushed for this new policy.
Even coach Brent Venables has been public about his stance on tailgating at games,
“Every patch of the grass is going to have a vehicle on it… Every patch,” Venables said in June. “And the grass is going to grow back just fine. And people are going to clean up after themselves. When you go on the road, you’re going to see tailgating at its finest. Hopefully, we can progress and be able to do that.
“To me, tailgating creates this amazing place to have memories, to remember moments and to build relationships. And to share passion, love, and joy for your university. It’s one thing to do it on a slab of concrete. But to compete and find a spot and camp out for a couple of days and do your thing from the beginning to the end of a college Saturday, (it’s special).”
Now, with Lindsey Street back open, tailgating is great again in Norman.
