"WKU Athletic Department Says Beer is a 'Positive' at Football Games"

From WBKO.com

Review by Derek Orndorff in KIN 332 (section 1)

It seems as if Western Kentucky University has successfully found a new way to generate money and happiness at their home football games. Beer. At the start of the current football season, WKU switched up their scheme. By allowing alcohol sales at football games, the fans are showing up in larger numbers. Could it be that beer is what caused the spike in attendance, or is it all because the team is playing solid?

The 3-1 Hilltoppers claim that the idea stemmed from the athletic department and gradually grew stronger as others endorsed it. The fans seem to love the new option of buying five-dollar beers, but then again who wouldn’t? Western Kentucky is trying to regulate the sale of it by only allowing a person to purchase two beers at a time and they must be wearing a non-removable I.D. bracelet. In addition, beer sales end at the conclusion of the third quarter.

Now, with fans drinking heavily before the game and during the game, WKU must pay closer attention to fans and be ready to spring into action whenever conflict occurs. A drunken conflict is a worse conflict than just a simple sober confrontation. Security will continue to be increased with the increases in attendance and Western Kentucky will have to complete a much more extensive clean-up process with the new beers sales. However, Western Kentucky is among several other universities who have adopted alcohol sales at sporting events; Louisville, Louisiana-Lafayette, and South Alabama all sell alcohol.

I believe that Western Kentucky has made the correct decision in selling alcohol and I think there will continue to be positive effects on the football games. In the spring, I expect a rise in attendance at baseball games too, due to the sales that will be allowed there.