Baseball season is about to start in two days. Many people are headed to Miller Park and tailgate to kick off the year. There is an upcoming podcast that my co-host Mitch and I are doing where we’re going to deliver some hot takes about Opening Day, but before we do that, let’s talk about tailgating. People love tailgating. It is a fiber of being a Wisconsin sports fan. There is nothing wrong with tailgating, but the explosion of bar shuttles across Southeastern Wisconsin show why many people looking to have a good time opt for a bar shuttle versus driving to the stadium. I am one of these people as well.

I’ve been on the bar shuttle thing for awhile. Here’s the thing about tailgating that drives me crazy. You’re already paying for parking then you have to buy food, beer, snacks and make sure you have everything with you. Sure, people can contribute which cuts some of the cost, but if you’re leading the tailgate, you have to make sure the essentials are there. This can run up a bill pretty high for a Brewers game. Not to mention, you cannot get hammered at the game as your car is in the parking lot that you have to bring home. Now if a bar or company is running the tailgate and you have a ride, that’s a completely different story and basically a version of a shuttle w/ food included.

Shuttles do two things really well for me personally – Save on parking and get me out of the stadium quicker than my car. No matter if I’m having four beers or six beers, a shuttle provides me with more money in my pocket. Even if you’re traveling in, the Bluemound Road bars all have great shuttles and parking those bars isn’t too bad. I live about 10-15 minutes away from Jack’s American Pub by walking, and they have a great shuttle. Why would I even drive when a shuttle service is right by my house? Another great thing about the bar shuttle is for Friday and Saturday games, you can start your night at whatever bar then carry the rest of the way. If you’re tailgating, the night is done.

Do shuttles have their pain points? Absolutely. They all line up and look the same fucking bus plus the rails at Miller Park make it extremely difficult to navigate at times. If you miss the shuttle on the way home, survival mode has to kick in and figure out what to do from there. Also, you can get some rowdy characters but I think that adds to the experience.

Give me a shuttle over a tailgate and if that takes away my Wisconsin card, so be it.

Charlie.