College: Suds in the Suites? They've Paid

College Football News - Dave Curtis - SportingNews.com

Suds in the Suites? They've Paid for the Privilege

As always, the stories in college football keep circling back to money. Like in the rest of the world, more cash means more privileges, more advantages and more ways to enjoy life.

It happens with the BCS and with recruiting, and now it's happening with beer. Yes, America's adult beverage of choice again has clashed with America's favorite amateur sports pastime.

In recent weeks, Minnesota and Nebraska have made headlines as they struggle to handle alcohol sales at their home football games. The godfather of Husker football has spoken, and the Minnesota state senate has spoken. The scenarios are different, but they've sparked a discussion that ends with an All-American conclusion: Responsible rich people should be able to drink during football games. The riffraff? Not so much.

College sports have spent the last generation balancing between creating party atmospheres on game days and promoting drinking, the primary taboo on most every campus. Although the NCAA bans alcohol sales and advertising at its championship events, it leaves the decision for regular-season games to the host schools. And the schools, of course, go different directions.

A handful, from Syracuse in the East to Nevada in the West, have allowed everyone with valid identification to buy beer during the first half of games. Others, including Michigan (which is adding suites as part of a $226 million expansion to Michigan Stadium), ban alcohol in every corner of the stadium. Still others strike what seems a proper balance -- folks in the expensive seats and suites can buy booze; the rest of the stadium, which includes the student section, can drink only at tailgates.

Administrators at Nebraska and Minnesota are weighing tougher policies toward in-game drinking. Huskers athletic director Tom Osborne has grown concerned about the behavior of those who drink in Memorial Stadium's luxury suites. Nebraska has prohibited alcohol in those parts of the stadium, but some suite holders break the rules and make home games B.Y.O.B. The boss wants to see stricter enforcement of the ban.

At Minnesota, athletic director Joel Maturi said his staff sold 32 luxury suites, 56 loges and 1,250 outdoor club seats to fans thinking they could have alcohol in those spots at new TCF Bank Stadium. The rest of the stadium would be booze-free. But a bill in the Minnesota state legislature would force the stadium to sell liquor and beer throughout the stadium or not at all. Given that choice, UM president Robert Bruininks said he'd favor a dry environment.

"The suite we sold for $45,000, it was under the premise that alcohol would be for sale," Maturi said. "So we might have to deal with that. Are the suites still worth that much without that privilege?"

The answer, of course, is no. Maybe it should be yes, but that's not reality. Responsible adults should be allowed to enjoy a beer while cheering on State U. And they should have to pay, and pay big, to enjoy that right.

If folks want to shell out a teacher's salary to watch a few football games, they can drink motor oil in their boxes if they wish. Sure, the wealthy buy the suites for climate control and television replays and bragging rights over their buddies. In many cases, they also buy the suites to ensure their tailgate parties can continue upstairs.

The counter-argument, of course, is that alcohol on campus implies to the students that it's OK to drink. But three-plus centuries of higher education in America have shown that students don't need subliminal suggestions to tap a keg.

As a Syracuse alum, I can attest that some kids have been and always will be drunk in the Carrier Dome student section. And the drinking has and always will continue after kickoff in the stands, with beers and flasks smuggled into the stadium in pockets and purses. No breaking news here. It's a similar situation at most other schools around the country, too.

Look, beer shouldn't be sold at stadium concession stands. It's important, even if it's fruitless, to try to keep students alcohol-free at games. And that, in turn, means keeping Joe Fan alcohol-free as well.

But the high rollers upstairs don't need the same drinking rules. Fans in suites and clubs should be able to buy beer and wine on their level of the stadium until halftime (the Jack Daniels stays outside). Stadium staff and security should monitor those fans and reserve the right to cut off the unruly the same way the bartenders at any watering hole can stop serving drunks.

Want to keep the streets safer after games? Encourage designated driving. Don't discourage supervised old people from cracking a Coors Light in the second quarter.

Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.

----

More football news

More sport news

Sports home

Copyright 2012 by SportingNews.com