After more than a year-long hiatus, Carter-Finley Stadium is finally seeing some action again. For attending crowds, it’s been greatly missed, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking its toll on colleges across the nation canceling athletics across the board. Bleakness descended over campuses, leaving many students feeling empty and disconnected.

“It was terrible,” said Ellie Hanks, a second-year studying recreation. “I felt no sense of community. No culture, no fun, nothing.”

Her roommate Jessi Graham, a third-year education major, seconded Hanks’ sentiments. 

“I didn’t even feel like a student,” Graham said. “I’m a transfer and last year was my first year here and I didn’t get to do anything. Having sports back makes me feel like I’m finally a student here.”

And back they are.

For NC State’s matchup with Furman, ubers began pouring into the Carter-Finley parking lot shortly after noon, dropping off only the most committed tailgaters. By 2:30 p.m., the tailgate was in full swing already, with tents painting the horizon along a sea of red. Except for one.

One brave man showed up last Saturday wearing a lonely baby-blue Jordan jersey. He seemed to walk the plank as State fans showered him with deafening boos while he walked by. Someone must have taken pity on him, because the next time he was seen, he had donned a plain red T-shirt.

One thing’s for sure, COVID-19 or not, tailgates are serious business and you can’t show up unprepared. 

For some attendees, it doesn’t seem all that different compared to pre-COVID-19. 

One parent, Scott Clark, echoed this sentiment, explaining that not much is different, with his family setting up more-or-less in the same spot.

“This lot is for people with season passes, so not much has changed, at least from what I can tell,” Clark said. “My kids still play with the same friends. We still bring food. It feels the same to me.”

Still, the crowd is baffling. For a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, students start walking to the stadium 30 minutes early, some even earlier to get the best seats. A few come just for the tailgate, typically those who invited non-student friends who didn’t want to buy tickets, but most go to the game as well. 

“I have never gone to a tailgate and not gone to the football game,” Hanks said. “I know a lot of people that have and a lot of people that do, but I personally have always gone into the game. Half the time I leave early, but I at least make it in.”

At the game against USF, the crowd at the entrance to the stadium could only be described as a mob. Anyone that’s concerned with COVID-19 doesn’t come, and those that do have not a care in the world. In this crowd, the motto is survival of the fittest. Friends hold hands so they don’t get separated, ankles are trampled on, and one girl had to intentionally drop her full drink into the abyss in order to keep hold of her keys and phone.

“It’s complete chaos,” Hanks said, “Before it was chaos too, but now it’s like nobody’s had a game in so long so it’s like everybody forgot how to operate.” 

Check-in is a perfect example as ticketing issues made getting into the game unconventional.

“They didn’t even scan my ticket,” Hanks said. “All anyone needed was to flash their student ID and in they went.”

Hanks said she leaves early. Every time.

“Especially a night game. The thing is you have to leave before fourth quarter because the traffic is so terrible; it takes like three or four hours to get out.” 

Similarly, Graham has left around the end of the first quarter for both of the games she’s attended.

For fans that stayed to the end this time around, they saw a crushing win by the Wolfpack as they clobbered Furman into a 45-7 defeat. The Uber app at the time read, “We are experiencing an influx in fares at this time,” as wait times clocked in anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour. 

Committed fans come expecting that, however, and even if they don’t have smiles on their faces while waiting for a ride, they show up bright and early at the next tailgate to do it all over again.