Ohio State now selling beer at games.

[BGunn]

The dam is broken and alcohol sales at B10 schools are happening. Power five schools are starting to realize the benefit of the revenue that alcohol sales brings. UL is a case study in how alcohol sales can help generate revenue with few negative effects and awesome results program wise. So how long before IU joins in? Everyone complains that fans either don't show up and/or leave at halftime. Would beer sales fix that? If Indiana is serious about improving the football attendance, why wouldn't they at least try this? Imagine a huge Upland brewery section of Memorial stadium. That would be great sponsorship and revenue opportunity.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...wer-five-schools-offering-beer-sales-in-2016/

 

[travlinhoosier]

How's the restroom availability? What's the liability situation?

 

[rcaulfie]

I'm sure all of the anti-drinking nuts will chime in, but I hope IU does it. I'll be donating an extra $15-20 per game to IU if so, and probably won't go to the car at halftime like I usually do.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

The dam is broken and alcohol sales at B10 schools are happening. Power five schools are starting to realize the benefit of the revenue that alcohol sales brings. UL is a case study in how alcohol sales can help generate revenue with few negative effects and awesome results program wise. So how long before IU joins in? Everyone complains that fans either don't show up and/or leave at halftime. Would beer sales fix that? If Indiana is serious about improving the football attendance, why wouldn't they at least try this? Imagine a huge Upland brewery section of Memorial stadium. That would be great sponsorship and revenue opportunity.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...wer-five-schools-offering-beer-sales-in-2016/

Visiting fans took their lives in their hands at UofL games.
I dropped season tickets there over the drunks.

 

[BGunn]

Visiting fans took their lives in their hands at UofL games.
I dropped season tickets there over the drunks.

I've gone to numerous games and most of my friends have season tickets and I've never seen or heard of an incident. But what I have seen is them expanding their facilities for every sport and going to good bowl games annually. Anytime alcohol is involved things can happen but that seems like a dumb reason to not take advantage of such a great revenue maker.

 

[RBB89]

I've gone to numerous games and most of my friends have season tickets and I've never seen or heard of an incident. But what I have seen is them expanding their facilities for every sport and going to good bowl games annually. Anytime alcohol is involved things can happen but that seems like a dumb reason to not take advantage of such a great revenue maker.

I live 15 minutes from UofL and won't ever go back to a game. Fights in the stands. Every single time. Driving over piles of broken glass bottles in the lots wasn't much fun either.

I suspect IU will sell beer in designated locations at some point (perhaps the SEZ terrace, and they already do in the club areas), but I hope they don't expand it to the whole stadium. Just my opinion.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

I've gone to numerous games and most of my friends have season tickets and I've never seen or heard of an incident. But what I have seen is them expanding their facilities for every sport and going to good bowl games annually. Anytime alcohol is involved things can happen but that seems like a dumb reason to not take advantage of such a great revenue maker.

saw a fight in the bathroom on the Floyd Street side almost every game.

One lady was passed out before EVERY game as I walked up the stairs to my seats.

Walking from the parking lot to the stadium my kids heard the uber-cuss words dozens of times and dozens of folks passed out.

Maybe Louisville fans just can't keep thier cool.

I always thought folks drank just as much when it wasn't sold on site, but acted more civil just because they were "keeping it on the down low"

 

[Iamhoosier]

I

saw a fight in the bathroom on the Floyd Street side almost every game.

One lady was passed out before EVERY game as I walked up the stairs to my seats.

Walking from the parking lot to the stadium my kids heard the uber-cuss words dozens of times and dozens of folks passed out.

Maybe Louisville fans just can't keep thier cool.

I always thought folks drank just as much when it wasn't sold on site, but acted more civil just because they were "keeping it on the down low"

I know a couple who just about gave their UL tickets up, also. They find some decent tickets in a non drinking section. Not prudes, either. Just folks who want to enjoy the game.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

I

I know a couple who just about gave their UL tickets up, also. They find some decent tickets in a non drinking section. Not prudes, either. Just folks who want to enjoy the game.

In full disclosure, back when I had U of L tix, they played a lot of Thursday night games, and I cd see both U of L and IU.

Now, they play mostly Saturday, and its not worth it to buy a season.
Plus, they keep adding seats. Always tickets if I want to go.

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

I've gone to numerous games and most of my friends have season tickets and I've never seen or heard of an incident. But what I have seen is them expanding their facilities for every sport and going to good bowl games annually. Anytime alcohol is involved things can happen but that seems like a dumb reason to not take advantage of such a great revenue maker.

You mist sit on the B&W Club side!

 

[Iamhoosier]

In full disclosure, back when I had U of L tix, they played a lot of Thursday night games, and I cd see both U of L and IU.

Now, they play mostly Saturday, and its not worth it to buy a season.
Plus, they keep adding seats. Always tickets if I want to go.

My friends have an odd assortment of tickets. UL football and women's basketball. IU men's basketball.

 

[Courtsensetwo]

Loud drunk obnoxious fans coming into games at Ohio can now get even more drunk...what could go wrong?

 

[BGunn]

So ESPN 30 for 30 did a report tonight about OSU starting to serve alcohol. The report declared that schools that serve alcohol actually saw less incidents related to alcohol due to more control over alcohol. I think it was West Virginia's AD but he said alcohol has been around for years. Everyone sneaks it in but now that we sell it, we have seen less issues. At least someone was being honest about the fact that alcohol is already apart of every game, might as well control it and enjoy the revenue that it creates.

 

[TheSpa]

The dam is broken and alcohol sales at B10 schools are happening. Power five schools are starting to realize the benefit of the revenue that alcohol sales brings. UL is a case study in how alcohol sales can help generate revenue with few negative effects and awesome results program wise. So how long before IU joins in? Everyone complains that fans either don't show up and/or leave at halftime. Would beer sales fix that? If Indiana is serious about improving the football attendance, why wouldn't they at least try this? Imagine a huge Upland brewery section of Memorial stadium. That would be great sponsorship and revenue opportunity.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-fo...wer-five-schools-offering-beer-sales-in-2016/

Beer has been sold at select college football and basketball venues for decades, so this isn't anything new. Tailgaters are drinking anyway and, at IU, many reload at halftime (this is the exception to most college and pro stadiums). The issue is really about regulating sales to prevent people from overconsumption and having well trained security available to deal with people who misbehave. Lower the boom on abusers (have them tossed out of the stadium if they create disturbances and / or arrested if they violate the law, and take away tickets) and the atmosphere will be fine.

 

[hometownfan]

Loud drunk obnoxious fans coming into games at Ohio can now get even more drunk...what could go wrong?

"Loud, drunk, obnoxious, and an O$U fan is no way to go through life." Dean Wormer 1978

 

[Tony20]

People who are going to abuse beer are already sneaking beers into the game from their halftime exodus to the cars anyway. If it means our stadium has a better chance of not being a ghost town at start of 3rd quarter and IU makes a few bucks extra I'm all for it.

 

[Chad_36]

I'll drop my season tickets if they start serving booze w/o several designated sections booze free. I haven't been to a Colts game in a very long time because of the drunks.

 

[IUHartselCol]

Wow...some really weird arguments to allow more drunks at games. Drinking in the parking lot doesnt interfer with enjoying the game. But wait and see how many drunks you have when you can just buy it in the stands. Double ir triple the number, People who drink beer want it...those who dont, dont. Ever been to pro games? Drinking makes tge crowd ugly and dangerous. Drinkers will never admit this...because..,they want to drink. Alcohol has no place around amature sports. And if beer sales draws more people, are they really the sort you want? There, just to drink beer? Stay home please...the rest of us just want to enjoy the game...without a buzz.

 

[TheSpa]

Wow...some really weird arguments to allow more drunks at games. Drinking in the parking lot doesnt interfer with enjoying the game. But wait and see how many drunks you have when you can just buy it in the stands. Double ir triple the number, People who drink beer want it...those who dont, dont. Ever been to pro games? Drinking makes tge crowd ugly and dangerous. Drinkers will never admit this...because..,they want to drink. Alcohol has no place around amature sports. And if beer sales draws more people, are they really the sort you want? There, just to drink beer? Stay home please...the rest of us just want to enjoy the game...without a buzz.

The "drunks" are already there, they're just indiscriminately consuming it in the parking lot before entering the stadium. Selling it inside not only creates additional revenue opportunities but also allows the University to (somewhat) monitor how much people actually consume. Finally, alcohol has been around "amature" (sic) sports, in both an official and unofficial capacity, for decades. For instance, Anheuser Busch was a long time sponsor of IU broadcasts.

 

[IUHartselCol]

The "drunks" are already there, they're just indiscriminately consuming it in the parking lot before entering the stadium. Selling it inside not only creates additional revenue opportunities but also allows the University to (somewhat) monitor how much people actually consume. Finally, alcohol has been around "amature" (sic) sports, in both an official and unofficial capacity, for decades. For instance, Anheuser Busch was a long time sponsor of IU broadcasts.

Well, i certainly cant argue with your observations. Only your conclusion. My point is, we already have those that drink outside, plus those who sneek it in. Now imagine 4 times that many added to them when sales begin. Revenue can be made in many ways...selling a drug (alcohol) wouldnt be my first choice, though it may be the popular one. Curious...how many non-drinker do not want beer sales at games, and how many drinkers do? Expressed as a percentage of attendees. Wanna guess the answer? Vbg

 

[TheSpa]

Well, i certainly cant argue with your observations. Only your conclusion. My point is, we already have those that drink outside, plus those who sneek it in. Now imagine 4 times that many added to them when sales begin. Revenue can be made in many ways...selling a drug (alcohol) wouldnt be my first choice, though it may be the popular one. Curious...how many non-drinker do not want beer sales at games, and how many drinkers do? Expressed as a percentage of attendees. Wanna guess the answer? Vbg

Perhaps you can share a specific percentage of drinkers versus non-drinkers, just as I would ask for your supporting proof of "4 times that many" once sales begin (I can't imagine you'd make that up, so I'm looking forward to learning more about this research).

 

[ElMeson]

Well, i certainly cant argue with your observations. Only your conclusion. My point is, we already have those that drink outside, plus those who sneek it in. Now imagine 4 times that many added to them when sales begin. Revenue can be made in many ways...selling a drug (alcohol) wouldnt be my first choice, though it may be the popular one. Curious...how many non-drinker do not want beer sales at games, and how many drinkers do? Expressed as a percentage of attendees. Wanna guess the answer? Vbg

It may not be your first choice but it's the easiest. I'm sure Ohio St will be monitored by all power 5 programs and if its successful more schools than not will jump on board, including IU.

 

[BGunn]

This whole thing reminds me of when there were elections in Clark county about getting a casino 20+ years ago. Clark county (the country next to Louisville) had an opportunity to get a casino that would bring great revenue. But that depended on an election with voters approving it. All the churches and conservatives protested that a casino would bring all kinds of bad things like organized crime (they used the term 'mafia'), prostitution, drug use, etc.... They said anything they could to scare people to not vote for riverboat gambling. Well, it apparently worked and Clark county lost out on so much revenue while Harrison county, 2 counties over, was smart enough to approve it. Now Harrison county is enjoying all kinds of revenue that has improved their roads, schools, parks, etc... while not having any real issues with the dreaded mafia and prostitutes. Harrison county is very rich now while Clark county has struggled to catch up. When people here say they don't want to look like UL and all their success and bowl games it reminds me of this meme. Being mediocre and rarely going to bowl games seems to be enough for some people.

 

[YOTHN]

This whole thing reminds me of when there were elections in Clark county about getting a casino 20+ years ago. Clark county (the country next to Louisville) had an opportunity to get a casino that would bring great revenue. But that depended on an election with voters approving it. All the churches and conservatives protested that a casino would bring all kinds of bad things like organized crime (they used the term 'mafia'), prostitution, drug use, etc.... They said anything they could to scare people to not vote for riverboat gambling. Well, it apparently worked and Clark county lost out on so much revenue while Harrison county, 2 counties over, was smart enough to approve it. Now Harrison county is enjoying all kinds of revenue that has improved their roads, schools, parks, etc... while not having any real issues with the dreaded mafia and prostitutes. Harrison county is very rich now while Clark county has struggled to catch up. When people here say they don't want to look like UL and all their success and bowl games it reminds me of this meme. Being mediocre and rarely going to bowl games seems to be enough for some people.

LOL that is a microcosm of what our state represents. Merely a society that's light years behind the world. We always end up getting there but we just lag many years behind. Sunday alchohol sales, gambling and even Marijuana will all be legal in due time. As each generation goes and the new generations take up a larger faction, the strict views on these things become more relaxed.

Alchohol sales aren't necessary. They also don't guarantee a more volatile experience. Are there bad apples? Of course but you will find the same thing most anywhere. I would be all for some sections that would not allow alchohol sales or allowed in the seats if that would appease a particular group of fans. As for the bottles in the parking lot at Louisville, I'm pretty sure IU consumes more bottles in the Memorial Stadium parking lot than fans at Louisville do. There is a large portion of the fan base that just wants to see the game. There is a large portion of the fanbase that wouldnt mind drinking responsibly while watching the game. There is a very small portion of the fanbase (mainly in the student section) that can be unruly or make a scene. It's very possible that more students will go into the game if they can drink in there and you can very easily avoid that side of the field. Add the extra revenue and I feel like this is a no brainer.

 

[IUHartselCol]

Alcohol use is not a generational social evolution...study history. It was bad 100 yrs ago...its bad today...it will still be bad 100 yrs from now. The fact it will spread it not social advancement...its moral decay. The comparisons to casinos is simply not valid. Whenever alcohol moves in, families move out. The only ones that dont care...are other drinkers who are too buzzed to notice the non-drinkers are gone. To deny the affects is, well, too crazy to debate. When your old enough, the light will come on. The worst drug in America is alcohol...period. Do the math...

But that never stopped anyone from ruining it for other when drinking is involved.

 

[BGunn]

Alcohol use is not a generational social evolution...study history. It was bad 100 yrs ago...its bad today...it will still be bad 100 yrs from now. The fact it will spread it not social advancement...its moral decay. The comparisons to casinos is simply not valid. Whenever alcohol moves in, families move out. The only ones that dont care...are other drinkers who are too buzzed to notice the non-drinkers are gone. To deny the affects is, well, too crazy to debate. When your old enough, the light will come on. The worst drug in America is alcohol...period. Do the math...

But that never stopped anyone from ruining it for other when drinking is involved.

I totally agree with you about it being a bad drug but prescription drugs are much worse and a bigger problem. The fact that alcohol is legal and so readily available while pot is illegal is a total joke.

Apparently you aren't catholic because every catholic church in Louisville serves alcohol at it's fish frys and picnics and there are plenty of families with kids everywhere. That money is used to fund our athletic program. You sound 100 years old yourself. You still miss prohibition?

 

[TheSpa]

Alcohol use is not a generational social evolution...study history. It was bad 100 yrs ago...its bad today...it will still be bad 100 yrs from now. The fact it will spread it not social advancement...its moral decay. The comparisons to casinos is simply not valid. Whenever alcohol moves in, families move out. The only ones that dont care...are other drinkers who are too buzzed to notice the non-drinkers are gone. To deny the affects is, well, too crazy to debate. When your old enough, the light will come on. The worst drug in America is alcohol...period. Do the math...

But that never stopped anyone from ruining it for other when drinking is involved.

Plenty of fans can and do consume alcohol responsibly, and adequate security should be deployed to address the behavior of those who do not. Expulsion, prosecution (when laws are broken) and revocation of tickets are all methods of dealing with fans who don't know their limit or who refuse to behave in an acceptable manner. As another poster mentioned, family only / no alcohol sections can and should be designated for those particularly concerned about their exposure to those who may consume alcohol.

None of this is particularly difficult, though I understand that some simply want to impose their morals (and considerable will) on others. That group tends to be a fraction of the fan base, though their volume level often makes them seem far larger and more influential than they really are. Will be interesting to see if IU ventures into this at some point. I would imagine they'll start small, maybe following the Purdue effort in the south end zone of Ross-Ade. Unobtrusive, isolated, easily supervised and secured, not a distraction for those who wish to maintain distance from it. Maybe the roof top in the just-approved south end zone complex would be a good spot.

 

[Hoosiers Rising]

I am not a drinker and I don't go to a lot of sporting events like I used to. If you found the loudest most obnoxious drunk in the entire stadium I would be the guy sitting right next to them. It just wasn't worth the 4 or 6 hour round trips to not enjoy the game. That being said not selling alcohol inside is not a guarantee that these types of things will not happen. One of the problems with IU football is attendance and the general malaise of those that are in attendance. If it fills the stadium for the entire game and makes it rock then bring it. That is what impresses recruits.

 

[UncleMark]

If you're going to blame bad behavior on the alcohol, then you should be prepared to blame the Orlando shooting on the gun.

 

[YOTHN]

Alcohol use is not a generational social evolution...study history. It was bad 100 yrs ago...its bad today...it will still be bad 100 yrs from now. The fact it will spread it not social advancement...its moral decay. The comparisons to casinos is simply not valid. Whenever alcohol moves in, families move out. The only ones that dont care...are other drinkers who are too buzzed to notice the non-drinkers are gone. To deny the affects is, well, too crazy to debate. When your old enough, the light will come on. The worst drug in America is alcohol...period. Do the math...

But that never stopped anyone from ruining it for other when drinking is involved.

It's bad for the irresponsible and that is a fact one can't deny. But so are guns so should we ban those as well?

It's just not as bad as you want to make it out to be. Most everyone I know drinks responsibly and to pretend like they are part of the moral decay of our society just isn't true. If you choose not to do that, everyone would respect your opinion but to pretend anyone who doesn't agree with you is then liable for some hypothetical downfall of our civilization is quite the selfish opinion. I'm pretty sure when alcohol moves in that the university notices the revenue increase and they aren't too buzzed to notice this phantom exodus of non-drinkers you speaketh of. It's one thing if we're talking about selling alcohol at a church but we are talking about a college football game where audiences in entertainment venues have been partaking for decades.

Lastly, people forget that the stadium is usually half empty. If you don't like who's sitting next to you........just move?

 

[TheSpa]

It's bad for the irresponsible and that is a fact one can't deny. But so are guns so should we ban those as well?

It's just not as bad as you want to make it out to be. Most everyone I know drinks responsibly and to pretend like they are part of the moral decay of our society just isn't true. If you choose not to do that, everyone would respect your opinion but to pretend anyone who doesn't agree with you is then liable for some hypothetical downfall of our civilization is quite the selfish opinion. I'm pretty sure when alcohol moves in that the university notices the revenue increase and they aren't too buzzed to notice this phantom exodus of non-drinkers you speaketh of. It's one thing if we're talking about selling alcohol at a church but we are talking about a college football game where audiences in entertainment venues have been partaking for decades.

Lastly, people forget that the stadium is usually half empty. If you don't like who's sitting next to you........just move?

If they had a limited access area for this, would you be okay if they sold beer at your local high school games?

 

[IUHartselCol]

If you're going to blame bad behavior on the alcohol, then you should be prepared to blame the Orlando shooting on the gun.

OMG...lol...youve got to be kidding! Last time i looked you didnt ingest a gun that changed your behavior. My wife is still laughing...

 

[IUHartselCol]

The old "I know people who drink responsibly" is the weakest argument of all folks. It just not what happens at sporting events. Lucky you if no drunk has spoiled your experience...maybe you were too buzzed to notice. If I could destroy recreational alcohol I would in a heartbeat. Prohibition never has and never will work. Why do you pro drinking guys always turn to indefensible arguments? To justify your own behavior perhaps? Vbg...

 

[IUHartselCol]

And why does someone who hates alcohol for the things hes seen with his own eyes over 64 years need to be some religious or morality nut? You think that way because you want to justify your own drinking. Im more liberal than 95% of the people on this site by my actions, not words. My problem is with addition drugs, heroin, meth, alcohol...and perscription opioids. If you arent, better ask yourself why. Self delusion is the most powerful drug of all. Calling other people names to deflect from your own flaws is transparent and pointless. We can call alcohol evil without demonizing drinkers...they are addicts and should be pitied. But a spade is a spade no matter how you shuffle the deck.

 

[TheSpa]

The old "I know people who drink responsibly" is the weakest argument of all folks. It just not what happens at sporting events. Lucky you if no drunk has spoiled your experience...maybe you were too buzzed to notice. If I could destroy recreational alcohol I would in a heartbeat. Prohibition never has and never will work. Why do you pro drinking guys always turn to indefensible arguments? To justify your own behavior perhaps? Vbg...

People drink responsibly at sporting events all the time. It's far from the out of control picture you're ridiculously trying to paint. Nonetheless, IU will proceed very cautiously. If you knew anything at all about the University, you wouldn't be so hysterical over this.

 

[Iamhoosier]

This whole thing reminds me of when there were elections in Clark county about getting a casino 20+ years ago. Clark county (the country next to Louisville) had an opportunity to get a casino that would bring great revenue. But that depended on an election with voters approving it. All the churches and conservatives protested that a casino would bring all kinds of bad things like organized crime (they used the term 'mafia'), prostitution, drug use, etc.... They said anything they could to scare people to not vote for riverboat gambling. Well, it apparently worked and Clark county lost out on so much revenue while Harrison county, 2 counties over, was smart enough to approve it. Now Harrison county is enjoying all kinds of revenue that has improved their roads, schools, parks, etc... while not having any real issues with the dreaded mafia and prostitutes. Harrison county is very rich now while Clark county has struggled to catch up. When people here say they don't want to look like UL and all their success and bowl games it reminds me of this meme. Being mediocre and rarely going to bowl games seems to be enough for some people.

You think Clark was stupid, Floyd voted against the "boat" twice. The boat is, literally, about 100 yards into the next county. Most of the traffic to the boat comes through Floyd County. We get the traffic and the numerous fatalities on the road to the boat but just a fraction of the revenue.

 

[YOTHN]

OMG...lol...youve got to be kidding! Last time i looked you didnt ingest a gun that changed your behavior. My wife is still laughing...

I get what Mark was trying to imply with the analogy but probably should've used a couple different words. There are idiots who can't maintain alcohol just like there are idiots who can't maintain guns. Does your justification mean we ban both?

But alcohol does indeed change ones beahvior.

 

[UncleMark]

I get what Mark was trying to imply with the analogy but probably should've used a couple different words.

Actually I was doing a little trolling. Successfully, it appears.

 

[i'vegotwinners]

i would have less issue about allowing gambling at the game than, serving alcohol.

just build a moat around the stadium and we're ready to go.


the fact than many can drink responsibly is totally irrelevant, because many can't, and 10 responsible drinkers can't cancel out 1 who can't handle it.

and that 1 who can't, makes life miserable for everyone around them.

every post here supporting selling alcohol at games, could be used to support selling cocaine just as well.


the fact that our govt drives individuals away from safe drugs and towards far more dangerous ones, to self and society, shows a serious flaw in govt.


Saudi Arabia will have medical MJ before Indiana does, yet Indiana might as well have a resolution adopting alcohol as the official state beverage.

since Fred is so into state symbols and all, that he pasted the state seal on the side of the helmets where the IU logo belongs, perhaps we could also have a helmet in the rotation with a bottle of Bud on one side, and an NRA logo on the other.

because that bottle of Bud and NRA logo are much more symbolic to the state, than that state seal will ever be.

 

[Shirtsandskins]

i would have less issue about allowing gambling at the game than, serving alcohol.

just build a moat around the stadium and we're ready to go.


the fact than many can drink responsibly is totally irrelevant, because many can't, and 10 responsible drinkers can't cancel out 1 who can't handle it.

and that 1 who can't, makes life miserable for everyone around them.

every post here supporting selling alcohol at games, could be used to support selling cocaine just as well.


the fact that our govt drives individuals away from safe drugs and towards far more dangerous ones, to self and society, shows a serious flaw in govt.


Saudi Arabia will have medical MJ before Indiana does, yet Indiana might as well have a resolution adopting alcohol as the official state beverage.

since Fred is so into state symbols and all, that he pasted the state seal on the side of the helmets where the IU logo belongs, perhaps we could also have a helmet in the rotation with a bottle of Bud on one side, and an NRA logo on the other.

because that bottle of Bud and NRA logo are much more symbolic to the state, than that state seal will ever be.

At least you aren't the overly dramatic type...jeez