PROMOTING REVENUE, PRACTICING RESPONSIBILITY


Alcohol sales at college events continues to grow and impact the bottom line By Bo Carter


Just over 40 years ago, visiting fans at the Louisiana Superdome


(now the Mercedes-Benz Superdome) were somewhat startled to see beverage carts with cold malt beverage bottles (safely transferred to plastic cups after sales), famous New Orleans hurricane mixed drinks, and a wide variety of bourbons and other ales. Cash-strapped Tulane athletics, which later moved its football


games to cozy Yulman Stadium from the dome, was doing every- thing it could after the Superdome opened in 1975 to enhance reve- nue and provide convenience for fans. Plus, the urban setting made          facility.


In the same vein, Colorado athletics, which constructed the CU Events Center in 1979 and later renamed it the Co- ors Events Center in 1990 after a $5 million gift from the Adolph Coors Brewing Co., began Coors beer sales at its foot- ball facility – Folsom Field – in 1990 and ended them     postgame fracas between  fans in 1995 following a 29-21 Colorado victory. Alcohol was suspected to be a major reason for the brawl. Ironically, the two teams


began competing in the Big 12  and never had additional dustups. Bottom line: both Tulane and Colorado had alcoholic beverage sales long before most NCAA schools adopted the policies, and that public consumption landscape has changed drastically in the last decade. With costs rising and family budgets being stretched for the sports entertainment dollar, there are an estimated 50-plus NCAA Foot- ball Bowl Subdivision members (the largest college football com- petitors), out of 130 total FBS schools, selling alcoholic beverages publicly inside stadiums during the 2018 season. These numbers now include church-related schools, such as


Southern Methodist and Syracuse, for both football and basketball 


30 Facility Manager Magazine


    campus facilities, there also is growing concern about safety for specta- tors and security within numerous college venues. Besides the widespread public sales now occurring, for decades


schools with paid guest suites allowed alcoholic beverage sales for the suites’ patrons only. while thirsty fans in seating areas below looked on with envy at the lucky suite patrons. Now, the great rise in public alcohol sales at college sports venues has raised revenue ($500,000-plus for West Virginia athletics for 2015-    and fan safety. One example in the 1990s was at a Big 12 Conference Men’s Basketball cham- pionship at Kansas City’s Kemper (now Hy-Vee) Arena. The Big 12 began selling beer publicly at all its championships, begin-  Football Championship at St.  A prominent Big 12 direc-


tor of athletics at the basket- ball tourney was seated with his wife and two young sons, when a suspected alcohol-re-


lated skirmish began behind him. He quickly summoned secu- rity, but had to subdue one of the perpetrators with a shot to the right


cheek to put an end to that encounter. -


ues continue to be keenly aware of these situations and have taken, and continue to take, necessary steps to


assure that consumption is within legal limits and orderly. “Of course, we have been monitoring increased public alcohol sales


at college venues and the possible repercussions,” said Jill Pepper, ex-   (TEAM) Coalition. “So far, there have been very limited incidents, and we have emphasized designated drivers or private transportation for those who might be over the legal alcohol limits.”  with potential problem areas in its mission statement.


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