"Healthier Concessions Menus Present New Booster Club Challenges"

From Athletic Business

Review by Korey Page in KIN 501

In the article by Michael Popke titled Healthier Concessions Menus Present New Booster Club Challenges presented the dilemma that some school districts are going through now that they are trying to fight obesity. Portland Public Schools in Maine announced in August of this year that they were doing away with high sugar and high fat foods and drinks at schools and at school events. This meant that you could not get your typical vending machine food such as chips, nachos, candy bars, Mountain Dew, and Coca-Cola from classrooms, cafeterias, field trips, and concession stands at school sporting events.

With them not being able to sell or have food items that are high calorie, high sugar, and high fat it puts a damper on what booster clubs can sell at sporting events and how they go about to raise money. This is the issue that was presented in the article and was talked about in briefly but there is another issue that was not touched on and could become a bigger issue: fan experience. In the article it stated that Portland Public Schools are to sell low calorie and healthier food instead of the nachos and pizza you would expect from a stadium while watching a high school sporting event. When going to a sporting event, you expect the staples like nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and pretzels. With the new polices you will now expect to get humus and reduced-fat string cheese and low to no calorie drinks. I find the lack of choice is what is going to hurt the boosters and the fans.

This article stated that Portland School System enacted the policy over the summer with little resistance. This was because during the summer the general public did not hear about it until school started. Also at Durham (N.C.) Public Schools there has been a wellness policy in place for six years like the one in Portland, Maine but they are looking to change their policy to help with more choices. The larger issue is the law that was passed recently in New York City banning large sodas. With the government cracking down on obesity by instituting these laws it could be only a matter of time before it reaches over into the world of professional sports. By evidence of the article it is already an issue for public schools. There are proponents and opponents to these measures just like any other issue. Some are for it but others would like to have a choice, not a ban.

Looking at the grand scheme, when and if this affects collegiate and/or professional this will affect the overall fan experience. With fewer choices of things people want could lead to unrest in the audience. This is a good thing for people who want to eat healthier because now they have more choices than what was previously offered but to the vast majority this will be a problem if they do not find a balance. These laws and policies also affect sponsorship relations. When looking for corporate sponsors your choices will become limited and you will have to find companies who appeal to the policy that are in place. Also having food sponsorships in place before such policies are introduced could lead to friction and redoing of the contract.