Friday, November 13, 2009

The SEC football date

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about the tradition of fraternity guys wearing ties and taking sundress-clad dates to Southeastern Conference football games.

The piece, which focuses heavily on Auburn University, outlines the etiquette for the Southern football date. It also notes that female companionship is key to fraternities maintaining their coveted stadium seats.

An excerpt:

According to several sophomore members of Auburn's Sigma Nu chapter, the best quality to look for in a date is that she makes a good "babysitter" (read: she will take care of you if you get too drunk). Others say the best dates won't mind doubling as bourbon-transportation vehicles. (Taping a flask to a date's leg is, by many accounts, another age-old Southern football tradition.)

The football date tradition was one of the hardest things for me to understand upon moving to the South.

My college football team played its games in a high school stadium, and we wore sweatshirts and heavy jackets during much of the season.

Do I feel like I missed out? Kind of, especially when I read the aforementioned passage about taping a flask to a date's leg.

Give me your tips for football date etiquette.