Ah, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Or should I say, the Florida-Georgia Game.
Once proudly branded with one of the most unique names in college football rivalry history, this clash between the archrival Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs now goes by a far more generic title: the Florida-Georgia Rivalry. But why the change?
Why Is Florida-Georgia Not Called the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party?
To understand why the nickname was dropped, you have to know how it earned such a legendary label in the first place.
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Jacksonville hosts this showdown with open arms, welcoming waves of Florida and Georgia fans, who pack the city’s streets, restaurants, bars, and tailgates. The local businesses thrive as fans flood in, decked out in Orange and Blue or Black and Red, transforming downtown into a sea of team colors and good-natured chaos.
The game has long been synonymous with epic tailgates and an all-weekend party vibe, a reputation that gave rise to its famous name. Back in the 1950s, The Florida-Times Union sports editor Bill Kastelz coined “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” after spotting a tipsy fan offering a drink to a police officer. The nickname took off, embraced by fans and even by the city of Jacksonville, which promoted it for years until 1988.
But with the fun came some rowdy incidents.
In 1984, Florida fans stormed the field, and Georgia fans followed suit the next year, with both sides tearing down goalposts in a flurry of celebration. The final straw came in 1985, when 65 arrests followed a field invasion by Georgia fans. Alongside these incidents, there were unfortunate injuries and even fatalities linked to excessive drinking over the weekend.
In 1988, Jacksonville decided to stop using the nickname, and by 2006, both schools and the SEC asked CBS Sports to retire the term from any promotional material and broadcasts.
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There are also untimely injuries that have occurred, including the deaths of some in attendance due to severe alcohol abuse during the weekend.
While the city of Jacksonville stopped using the nickname in 1988, it took until 2006 for both schools and the SEC to ask CBS Sports to refrain from using the nickname in any promotional material or during their broadcast of the game itself.
Other names have been suggested, like “War for the Oar,” but “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” still lingers as a whispered relic of the rivalry’s wild roots.
That’s what happens when you mix tradition with a bit of debauchery and the power of a catchy nickname.
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