UT Football by Lauren Greenfield

As a fan of college football, I decided to look into Lauren Greenfield’s series “UT Football.” It is a series of images from the 2010 BCS Championship game between the University of Texas Longhorns, and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide, particularly during tailgating prior to the game. Ms. Greenfield shows a variety of ways people prep up for a game.

            This series of photographic images were taken prior to the 2010 BCS National Championship game, being held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It has a variety of people engaging in tailgating activities. There are UT students using a “beer bong.” There are pictures of families hanging out at their campers, wearing bright orange and white clothing, and faces painted. There are also several images featuring the “Texas Exes,” a group of alumni from the University of Texas.

            In each of the images, the aperture was likely very small, because the there is a very deep depth of field, with even the backgrounds being very sharp. The shutter speed was also a very fast one, as the image where the cheerleaders are doing their routine at the Texas Exes tailgate party, you can see their hair in motion.

            It seems that the purpose of this work is to show how different people engage in a common custom. At the Texas Exes tailgating, which Ms. Greenfield mentions is a private party, you see both men and women smoking cigars, as well as having the UT Marching Band perform. This party also featured a private concert by Lyle Lovett. This is contrasted by an image of other Longhorns fans at the Rose Bowl, but watching it on a TV since they were unable to get tickets. She even shows how limo drivers were watching the game on TV’s outside of the stadium. Other images show a family who had driven to Pasadena from Phoenix, with both father and son dressed in orange and white, with faces painted to match. To me the most memorable pictures were the ones of college students, using a beer bong and “shotgunning” cans of beer. There’s also an image where the students seem to be almost mocking the alumni by also puffing on cigars. There is one memorable image of an Alabama fan’s bus being toilet-papered by some Texas fans.

            I was able to find one additional interpretation of the work. The reviewer (who is not named) mentions the various ways people arrived at the game, from rented RV’s to million-dollar tour buses. From Ms. Greenfield’s website, it appears she was trying to capture the essence of what tailgating at a University of Texas game looks like. There are wealthy people there, with their extravagant jewelry and limousines. There are blue-collar guys, crushing beer cans on their foreheads. There are students making the most of their college experience.

            I believe this series did an excellent job of artistically expressing what tailgating at a college football game is. It is people getting together, who enjoy being around other likeminded people. Though they may express their support for their team in different ways, they are all there wanting to cheer on their favorite team.

UT Football 

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