The Tailgate Connect® Podcast — College Football, NFL & The Game Day Life

He Quit Counseling to Build a Tailgate Empire | Lee Thomas, Tailgate Party Committee

Most people bring a cooler and some chairs. Lee brings inflatable houses, giant LED TVs, custom games, and Super Bowl ticket giveaways. The founder of the Tailgate Party Committee spent years as a high school counselor before deciding the parking lot was calling — and he answered by building one of the most over-the-top tailgating operations in the country. Lee joins Luke to walk through how a counselor's instinct for reading people and defusing conflict turned out to be the exact skill set a traveling nationwide tailgate empire needed. From coast to coast, in snow and heat, at NFL and college stadiums, Lee has turned the pregame into the main event. What we cover: From high school counselor to nationwide tailgate operator — the full origin story · Inflatable houses, giant LED TVs, and custom games at every stop · The High Five and Fist Pump cam that gets entire stadiums involved · Super Bowl ticket giveaways and how the logistics actually work · Why local food and culture are non-negotiable at every city · How a counseling background helps keep the peace at 500-person tailgates · What's next for the Tailgate Party Committee Follow Lee → @TailgatePartyCommittee on all socials  Find tailgate events near you → tailgateconnect.com

He Grills at First Base — Inside Banana Ball's Wildest Coach | Coach Bart, Texas Tailgaters

He coaches first base in a floppy hat, short shorts, white Nikes, and a six-pack beer belt — while running a lit grill. Meet Coach Bart, the utility man of the Texas Tailgators, and the most authentically tailgate human being in professional sports. Andrew "Coach Bart" Bartman spent 12 years coaching college baseball, two years running the world's biggest baseball coaches convention, and six years as USA Baseball's Director of Coaching Development before landing exactly where he was always meant to be: grilling hamburgers at first base in front of thousands of screaming fans while simultaneously coaching base runners, assigning umpires, and running youth camps. This episode goes deep on what it's actually like to be part of the Banana Ball world — the pregame tailgates sponsored by HEB, the custom Coach Bart smoker that travels city to city, the 4.2 million people on the ticket waitlist, what the TV deal with ESPN and ABC looks like, the foster family visits with gift cards and no cameras, and why the "Get To" mindset changes everything. What we cover: How Coach Bart went from USA Baseball to cooking at first base · The floppy hat, short shorts, and beer belt origin story · The HEB sponsorship and pregame tailgates at Texas games · A lit grill at first base — Jesse Cole's actual instructions · 4.2 million on the ticket waitlist and how the K Club works · Every Banana Ball game is free on YouTube, always · Banana Ball on ESPN, truTV, CW, and a primetime ABC slot · Foster family gift basket visits — no cameras, no PR · The custom Coach Bart smoker with hot dog dampers · Favorite tailgate food: ribeye, olive oil, butter, Kinder's SPG · Favorite drink: Natty Light, no apologies · Dream tailgate guest: John Kruk

Cornhole Is Going to the Olympics — and Paying Six-Figure Salaries | Athena Delgado, ACL

Cornhole started as a backyard game people played at tailgates. Today it's on ESPN, it's paying six-figure salaries, and it's pushing for the Olympics. Athena Delgado, National Director of Player Engagement for the American Cornhole League, joins Luke to explain how that happened — and why cornhole and tailgating will be inseparable for generations to come. Luke and Athena have history — they judged a cornhole trick shot competition on ESPN's The Ocho, then teamed up for the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl tailgating challenge in Tucson. In this episode they break down the full rise of the ACL, what professional cornhole actually looks like, how to get involved at any level, and why 80% of tailgaters name cornhole as their favorite game. What we cover: How cornhole became a professional sport on ESPN · The Olympic push and what it means for the game · ACL pro player salaries and the competitive circuit · The tailgating challenge competition at the Arizona Bowl · How to join the ACL and start competing · The cornhole app and where to find tournaments

Inside the Wildest Tailgate in College Football | Official Ken, LSU

If you've ever wondered what it looks like when someone takes their love for a team to a completely different level — this is that episode. Kendrick, known as Official Ken, is the LSU superfan whose reaction videos have hit 1.2 million views in two days, earned shoutouts from Shaq, Ryan Clark, and Marcus Spear, and made Tiger Nation feel like the loudest community in college football. Luke and Kendrick break down what it's like to tailgate at LSU's Death Valley night games, why the pregame atmosphere in Baton Rouge is unlike anywhere else in the SEC, the food that makes LSU game day legendary, and how Kendrick went from crying in his room after a loss to building one of the most genuine fan channels on social media. What we cover: What makes Death Valley night games the wildest tailgate in CFB · The 1.2M view reaction video and how it happened in two days · Cajun food culture at LSU tailgates — jambalaya, gumbo, and more · How Kendrick built his social following through pure energy and authenticity · Shaq, Ryan Clark, Marcus Spear, and Benny Brazil showing love · Why LSU followed him on Instagram (manifestation incoming)

He Built a Tailgate Business from Cornhole Boards to 10,000 Fans | John Mikulec

He started making cornhole boards in his garage at 16. Today his company runs more tailgate events than anyone else on Earth — 350 planned for the next year across 15+ NFL cities, 9 college markets, and every major soccer venue hosting World Cup matches in 2026. John Mikulec, founder of Gameday Hospitality, is the rare operator who's scaled a passion into a genuine industry force without losing the core of what makes a tailgate great. He joins Luke for the longest episode in TGC podcast history to tell the full story — from the early days to the Super Bowl, from Buffalo to Ann Arbor, and everywhere in between. What we cover: How Gameday Hospitality grew from cornhole boards to 350 events a year · 13 NFL cities, 9 colleges, and World Cup 2026 goal zones · What it takes to operate tailgates in multiple markets simultaneously · The business of premium hospitality vs traditional tailgating · Bills Mafia culture and what makes Buffalo different · Lessons from nearly a decade in the tailgate industry