The giving spirit is strong this time of year – from before Thanksgiving until after Christmas, there’s a sense of community and support that comes out in a lovely, generous way to help those in need. At ScoreBig, we love seeing people giving NFL tickets to family and friends, and enjoy giving away a few ourselves (remember our Pay It Forward contest?) even more. While the rest of the year might bring distractions from this focus to the average working joe, the generous spirit resides year-round within many NFL Tailgate communities. In honor of the upcoming holidays – and to remind the rest of the year-round sports tickets holders of the power you can find in numbers – here’s a few groups that have earned shining stars in generosity and giving back regardless of the season.
Everything’s Bigger in Texas – The Houston Texans Liberty Tailgate (@HoustonTLT05)
www.houstontlt.com
If you’ve been anywhere near the Yellow Lot before a Houston Texan game, you know that the The Houston Texans Liberty Tailgate is a well-oiled party-producing machine. These pros have thematic menus, branded wristbands, memberships, sponsors, and a very utilized hashtag (#WeRunTailing, just FYI), but that’s not where it ends: these party people also actively support many causes throughout the season. In the past they’ve raised funds for the JJ Watts Foundation to ensure that underserved youth have athletics-based after school programs, and supported fellow tailgaters with relief from unexpected medical bills. So far this year they’ve supported the CharitaBulls Foundation and the Lymphoma Research Foundation on their own, as well as teamed up with Bulls On McNee Tailgaters and Bullhorn Tailgaters, two fellow Houston Texas organizations, to support the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Get your Houston Texans tickets today!
The 12th Man Trifecta – Blue Line Express, Hawk Strong and The Beast (@BlueLineExpress, @HawkStrongSEA and @TheBeastBus12)
www.beastbus.com
There’s football fans, and then there’s Seattle footballs fans. These people are living, breathing examples of what serious devotion looks like. Also, there’s a double decker neon bus. With a large group of lifers that can boast their cusine creations have won contests, been mentioned numerous times on local television and even appeared on the Food Network’s Tailgate Warriors, you know you’re not dealing with amateurs here. While other groups charge tickets or membership fees, this community runs on donations and local sponsorships and is open to all fans at every home game, all the while emphasizing the value of giving back to the community and nation-wide causes. With weekly food drives, events like “Brats for Breasts” and on-going donation collections for the YWCA’s Passage Point (they boasted a $10,000 donation last year), Susan G Komen Foundation, Boys and Girls Club, Union Gospel Mission of Seattle, Childhaven, and so many more, there’s no doubt that the 12th man idea extends far beyond the playing field to the heart of supporting others.
Get your Seattle Seahawks tickets today!
The City Boys – Tailgate With A Cause by The Section 16H Group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/section16Hgroup/)
If your idea of tailgating is a disorganized collection of bagged snacks, leaky coolers and mediocre grill masters, you clearly have never come across The Section 16H Group. A collection of friends and professionals from hospitality, fine dining, production and medical fields (cus, seriously, large groups of people can only benefit from this combo of skills), Tailgate With A Cause is a yearly meet-up that really sets the bar high in the worlds of fundraising and tailgating. Focusing their efforts each year on a particular charity, these boys sell pricey tickets to throw a serious party and do some serious fundraising for just one epic day. They boast celebrity chefs, Djs, photo booths, flat screens, ice sculptures, live and silent auctions…the list goes on and on. With this year’s event set to support The Riley Sandler Memorial Fund, and past years that have benefitted the American Cancer Society, Little Miracles School of Long Island and The Nephcure Foundation, we know these guys have many more years of do-gooding (and doing-it-good!) ahead of them.
Get your New York Jets and New York Giants tickets today!
The Fulltimers – MOB Alley and 66th Mob (@66thmob)
Started by two fans on 66th Ave in 1999 as a tailgate, this group is exactly what it is called: 5 years later, it is a full-fledged double-meaning acronym, standing for Make Oakland Better and Make Others Better. A gathering of die-hards who are equally passionate about The Raiders as they are about the city of Oakland and nationwide causes, the MOB spreads the love at every homegame, offering free food to all fans who come through. Each game is an opportunity for the 66th MOB to collect canned goods and financial donations for a long list of charities, and when the Raiders are away the MOB continues their efforts at local events, Forever Oakland rallies, mayorial forums – if there’s a cause that needs supporting in Oakland, you can count on these guys. With 20 local and national charities listed on their site, from the Alameda Food Bank and the West Side Point Richmond Public Library to the Red Cross, as well as attendance at numerous ‘special events’ through the year, this MOB is a crowd we’d welcome in any alley, anyday.
Get your Oakland Raiders tickets today!
The Grassrooters – The Arizona House of Cards ( @AZHouseOfCards)
Besides a great play on words in their name, this tailgate group has the charitable donations thing figured out. With a clear mission statement declaring their love for food, friends, family, football fans and benefiting specific charities (so many Fs!), this is a dedicated and productive bunch. While their spread might not be the most flashy, have the most key words, or boast the highest headcount (see celebrity chefs, nightclub-guest-list-worthy memberships, and double-decker buses, above) they do know how to make a difference: they have collectively donated thousands of dollars to The Pat Tillman Foundation, the Breast Cancer Society of America, M.D. Anderson Cancer Association, and the Wounded Warrior Project, to name a few. With a focus on family fun and reaching out to causes greater than a football game, The Arizona House Of Cards is real a respectable bunch.
Get your Arizona Cardinals tickets today!
Are you part of a tailgaing group that is doing good year round? Let ScoreBig‘s readers know in the comments, or give us a shout out on Twitter (@ScoreBig) about your upcoming charitable events!
