"Banking on Booze"

From Athletic Management

Review by Josh Hogan in SRM 435 (section 2)

Why is alcohol not sold at all college sporting events is a question that is asked by so many people and quite frankly myself as well. There is bias in my reasoning because I am a college student, but I do see a merit to this action being taken by a university. Recently the University of Toledo permitted alcohol to be sold at its football and basketball games to the public, not just luxury suites. They are doing this not only for money and sponsorship deals, but also to enhance what Mike O’Brien, athletic director, says is the “game day experience”. They have seen the merit like 22 other NCAA schools in selling alcohol. Of course the proper implications will be in use such as security, id verification, and same game day rules in general for public.

The tailgating experience is one that many people come to football games for, but sometimes abuse this. Fans know that alcohol can’t be purchased inside the stadium and may just try to abuse alcohol as much as possible before the game, then may not even go to event itself. Toledo has recognized this and many other schools are starting to see this too. You want to retain spectators at events not only for the teams support, but the longer they are at event, the higher the percentage they will spend money there. The sales of alcohol could really be a strong benefit to keep the fan at a game and for revenue of selling of alcohol. With big name sponsors coming in such as Budweiser, Coors, etc., I see the potential for bigger prizes for fans. Entertainment could increase, maybe post game shows, or fireworks can become a common theme. JMU I believe is a school that can and needs to move in this direction for the same exact reasons. With an expanding campus, high level of competition for the university, and yes the “party” tagged word for our school. I believe that JMU students wouldn’t abuse alcohol as much in tailgates because they know they can get a beer for the game. I hear it to many times from fellow students that they just want to just leave at halftime because they want to go party. It comes in unison for the home team to also be good so the fan can enjoy the game. I’m afraid that the JMU community is just afraid to take this step, but with the right message being sent to them, I believe they would shift their views.

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Review by Tucker Koch in SRM 435 (section 2)

The article we used for our presentation focused on the idea of the University of Toledo selling alcohol at their football and basketball games. This makes them the 23rd school across the country to do so and it has been a highly controversial decision in almost every case. Toledo will add extra security to games and looks to copy the success of other schools who have seen decreased arrests on game days since allowing the sale of alcohol. Communities tend to be hesitant but schools are extremely optimistic about the possible added revenue. In some cases, like West Virginia University, revenue from alcohol sales at games can exceed one million dollars.

This relates to our class because the whole idea of selling alcohol is in essence a sales promotion to get more people to come to games. Changing the culture of a football stadium is not easy to do at any level, but especially Division I college football. Other than free t-shirts, a good halftime show or a rival opponent, it is extremely difficult to entice fans to give up a Saturday to watch a struggling team. That’s why in the current state, it seems the emphasis to the students is put on the tailgate and not the game itself. The amount of students who tailgate but don’t go into the games at JMU seems to increase every year. In the case of JMU, selling alcohol at the games might entice more people to go to the game, stay past halftime and thus increase the game day experience and atmosphere. With an increased fan presence maybe the team will start playing better at home and then the program becomes one that students and athletes love being a part of.