Whether at home in front of the TV or at the stadium, it’s very typical for sports fans to enjoy a beer while watching their favorite sports team play. Today, the attitude of conferences and states has become drastically lenient towards the sale of alcohol at college football games.
Let’s look at the emerging trends regarding the sale of alcohol at the college football games. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or a newcomer, here’s what you need to know regarding the recent changes in the rules and regulations:
Contents
Understanding Alcohol Sales Regulations
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) doesn’t directly govern alcohol sales, leaving that up to individual conferences and universities. This autonomy has resulted in an array of policies.
Some conferences, like the SEC and Big Ten, have relaxed restrictions, while others, like the Pac-12, maintain stricter regulations. Finally, it is up to the universities to decide whether or not to sell alcohol and, if so, under what conditions.
Policies Governing Alcohol Availability
Policies governing the sale of alcoholic beverages typically address issues such as:
- Age verification: To purchase alcohol, all customers must be 21 or older.
- Sales Hours: Alcohol sales are usually limited to pre-game, halftime, and sometimes the first quarter or half of the game.
- Beverage types: Beer and wine are common, but liquor is often prohibited.
- Purchase limits: Per-person purchase constraints are standard.
- Designated driver programs: Encouraging safe transportation options.
Stadium And Venue Restrictions
Individual stadiums and venues have their own restrictions in addition to university-wide policies. Certain sections, such as family or student areas, may be alcohol-free.
Pre-game tailgating continues to be a popular time for alcohol consumption, with its own set of rules and regulations, with some universities enforcing stricter regulations outside of the stadium walls.
College Selling Alcohol: Statistics And Insights
Trend: Alcohol sales are booming! As of 2023, a staggering 88% of FBS schools (117 out of 133) are selling alcohol in their stadiums during games, compared to just a handful a few years ago.
Financial Benefits: Schools are seeing a boost in revenue due to alcohol sales. The University of North Carolina, for example, saw its alcohol sales quadruple in a year, generating $4 million in total. Another example is Ohio State generated an extra $1.23 million in 2017 from alcohol sales.
Shifting Attitudes: The stigma surrounding alcohol at college games is fading, with both the NCAA and conferences loosening restrictions.
College Football Stadiums Allowing Alcohol Sales
Universities have recently witnessed a boom in alcohol sales during college football games. Since 2019, another 56 Football Bowl Subdivision schools have begun selling alcohol at their venues. Here’s the list of all the current 117 schools selling alcohol at their games in the alphabet order:
- Air Force
- Akron
- Alabama
- Appalachian State
- Arizona
- Arizona State
- Arkansas
- Arkansas State
- Ball State
- Baylor
- Boise State
- Boston College
- Bowling Green
- Buffalo
- Central Florida
- Central Michigan
- California
- Charlotte
- Cincinnati
- Coastal Carolina
- Colorado
- Colorado State
- Connecticut
- Duke
- Eastern Michigan
- East Carolina
- Florida International
- Florida
- Florida Atlantic
- Florida State
- Fresno State
- Georgia Southern
- Georgia State
- Georgia Tech
- Hawai’i
- Houston
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Jacksonville State
- James Madison
- Kansas
- Kansas State
- Kent State
- Kentucky
- Louisiana-Lafayette
- Louisiana-Monroe
- Louisiana Tech
- Louisville
- LSU
- Marshall
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Memphis
- Miami (Florida)
- Miami (Ohio)
- Michigan State
- Middle Tennessee
- Minnesota
- Mississippi State
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- North Texas
- Northern Illinois
- Navy
- N.C. State
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- New Mexico State
- Ohio
- Ohio State
- Oklahoma
- Oklahoma State
- Old Dominion
- Ole Miss
- Oregon
- Oregon State
- Penn State
- Pittsburgh
- Purdue
- Rice
- Rutgers
- Sam Houston
- San Diego State
- San Jose State
- SMU
- South Alabama
- South Carolina
- South Florida
- Southern California
- Southern Mississippi
- Syracuse
- TCU
- Temple
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Texas A&M
- Texas-El Paso
- Texas-San Antonio
- Texas State
- Texas Tech
- Toledo
- Troy
- Tulane
- Tulsa
- UAB
- UCLA
- UNLV
- Vanderbilt
- Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- Western Kentucky
- Western Michigan
- Wake Forest
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
While it’s a lengthy list, it’s important to remember that individual policies and restrictions are subject to change. Always check the specific venue before heading to a game.
Colleges Without Alcohol Sales
Even today a handful of universities still hold out on alcohol sales for various reasons, including tradition, student safety concerns, and religious affiliations. While some allow sales in VIP sections and premium locations, others completely prohibit them. Here’s the list of all the schools that are not selling alcohol for the 2023 season:
- Army
- Auburn
- BYU
- Clemson
- Georgia
- Iowa State
- Liberty
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Notre Dame
- Stanford
- Utah
- Utah State
- Washington StateWisconsin
After Michigan’s Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, signed a bill in July allowing alcohol sales at universities’ football games, this will be the first year that all public universities in the state are allowed to sell alcohol at football games.
While Michigan has announced plans to sell alcohol in 2023, the Wolverines have maintained a long-standing tradition of alcohol-free games, prioritizing student safety and academic focus, and are yet to decide on whether or not to sell alcohol.
Conclusion
Looks like times are changing once again. Alcohol sales were unregulated back in the 2000s, and then the policies were reversed up until 2019 when we saw a dramatic trend emerging.
While the sale of alcohol at college football games is directly linked to revenue generation, we as fans still must drink responsibly.
