Jeans for the Win: 72 Percent of Tailgaters Select Jeans as Preferred Uniform of Tailgating

ESPN'S Mike & Mike Partner with Lee Jeans on National Tailgate Poll, Sports Duo Declare Lee Jeans the Official Apparel of Tailgating

News provided by

Lee Jeans

Sep 22, 2015, 09:38 ET

MERRIAM, Kan., Sept. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A new partnership between Lee Jeans and ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning unveils how the duo compared to America on the topic of tailgating according to a national poll*. While it's not surprising they both side with the masses (72 percent) and pick jeans as a staple of their game day attire, knowing the odd couple of sports, they do have differing opinions on other tailgate traditions. Here's how they side with America:

College vs. Pro Football Tailgating:
- Golic says: College
- Greenburg says: Pro
- America says: College

ESPN'S Mike & Mike Partner with Lee Jeans on National Tailgate Poll, unveiling how the duo compared to America on the topic of tailgating.

On the Set with Mike & Mike - Who has the Best Tailgating? Go behind-the-scenes with Mike and Mike to talk about which city has the best tailgating.

Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on behalf of Lee jeans

Fifty-seven percent selected the college football atmosphere, which can't be beat with Americans most often citing southern schools like Florida, Alabama and LSU as having the best tailgating reputations.

Best Pro Football Tailgate Locale:
- Golic says: Kansas City
- Greenburg says: Green Bay
- America says: Green Bay

Nearly one in six Americans side with Greeny and choose Green Bay as their favorite pro football-tailgating locale. Golic's nod to Lee Jeans' hometown Kansas City is all because of the barbecue! But beware: Americans rank barbecue sauce as the number one "stain-emy" of the American tailgate. And considering paper towels and wet wipes are two of the most commonly forgotten tailgating items, that's a denim disaster waiting to happen.

Favorite Tailgate Food:
- Golic says: Traditional Fare
- Greenburg says: High-Class Fare
- America says: Traditional Fare

Tailgaters like tradition, even when it comes to food, with 77 percent preferring tailgate staples such as burgers, brats and hot dogs. Among the traditional fare, tailgaters picked burgers more often than wings and hot dogs more often than brats.

Favorite Tailgate Games:
- Golic says: Bag Toss/Cornhole
- Greenburg says: Beer Pong
- America says: Bag Toss/Cornhole and Beer Pong

Playing games is one of the top tailgating traditions. While Bag Toss/Cornhole and Beer Pong are tied for the top spot at 36 percent of votes each, Americans broadly agree that Cornhole is the name of the game; 70 percent of tailgaters call it Cornhole, while nearly 30 percent refer to it as "Baggos."

Dressing for the Day – Comfort versus Looking Good:
- Golic says: Comfort
- Greenburg says: Looks
- American says: Both

Comfort and looks win as the most important tailgating attire criteria, beating superstition, fitting in with fellow fans and standing out from the crowd. With 85 percent of tailgaters arriving between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m., and 60 percent continuing the party after the game, it's a long day of grilling, cheering and Cornhole tossing requiring comfort and style that lasts all day.

"We've been to a lot of stadiums and a lot of tailgates. There is one tailgate staple beyond your typical burgers, brats or beers: jeans," said Mike Greenberg. "Lee jeans have done what is often impossible," added Mike Golic. "They make Greeny look good and make sure I'm comfortable. It's the best of both worlds, so we've declared Lee the official apparel of tailgating."

"Lee gets comfort; it is a key piece of our design philosophy and a key to tailgating, but we've achieved superior comfort without sacrificing style, to Greeny's appreciation," said Kim Yates, Vice President of Marketing at Lee Jeans. "We're excited to launch this new campaign featuring these two tailgating veterans and share some interesting data on the tradition that Lee is thrilled to be a part of as a leading denim brand."

Which Mike do you side with? Tweet @LeeJeans using #LeeTailgate to share which tailgating Mike you're more like with either @ESPNGolic or @ESPNGreeny. To grab a pair of Lee jeans for your next tailgate, visit lee.com.

*Lee Jeans, in conjunction with Qualtrics, commissioned a survey of 600 nationally representative U.S. adults, ages 25-54, between Aug. 21 and Aug. 24, 2015, with a 4% margin of error.

About VF
VF Corporation is a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel and footwear with more than 30 brands. The company's five largest brands are The North Face^®, Vans^®, Wrangler^®,Timberland^®, and Lee^®. Other brands include 7 For All Mankind^®, Bulwark^®, Eagle Creek^®, Eastpak^®, Ella Moss^®, JanSport^®, Kipling^®, lucy^®, Majestic^®, Napapijri^®,Nautica^®, Red Kap^®, Reef^®, Riders^®, Splendid^® and SmartWool^®. For more information, please visit www.vfc.com.

About Lee^®Lee^®, a VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) brand, is an iconic American denim and casual apparel brand. Lee's^®collections include a uniquely styled range of jeans, pants, shirts, shorts and jackets for men and women — girls and boys. Backed by 125 years of authenticity, Lee's^®consumer-focused innovation, versatile styling and superior comfort continues to inspire generations of brand loyalists. Committed to the community, the company founded the Lee National Denim Day^® in 1996, an annual event that has now raised more than $91 million for the fight against breast cancer. For more information, please visit www.lee.com.