grandmastapoop;842352925 said:

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Except the movement is going the other way in the last couple years. And it's not as though Cal is a dry campus - alcohol is sold at the Faculty Club, Cal baseball games, and until recently at the Bear's Lair.

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Which is why I posted this...

There's also the Bear Backer pregame area where beer is served until kickoff. How about for starters keeping the beer flowing throughout the game?

socaliganbear;842352930 said:

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Which is why I posted this...

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I think I wasn't clear. In the last couple years, the number of schools selling alcohol has gone way up. It was just a couple schools not more than five years ago. Now there are 30.

wifeisafurd;842352412 said:

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That would be Colorado's stadium

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As a CU alum I can, in fact confirm this. It was parents weekend vs Texas Tech (before Pac12). I think the Buffs were winless up to that point of the season, some 5-7 games in and had already lost to D II Montana St at Folsom. One unnamed fraternity decided to make nearly 1,000 brownies and hand them out in the student section. We went on to win that game. Coincidence??

Mama Bear;842352401 said:

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There is unlimited alcohol in the club sections until the end of the 3rd quarter. It is frankly a "pain in the tush" for those of us who care to watch the game. The drinkers are in and out, in and out, and not necessarily at time-outs, etc. Could be during an offensive drive. But once an alcohol policy begins, it would be difficult to change if behavior was out of order. Hard to police. Yes, there are flasks all around the stadium. A few years ago we had some jerks in front of us who really hit the bottle. There is no security in sight at Cal--yes you could leave your seat and find them--but you get the picture.

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I'm not quite sure Cal Athletics and their architect thought through the seating in the club sections - they offer free food and booze, but the rows are 20 seats wide, even in the University Club. You see a lot of the new craze at club seats in the pros and other colleges is smaller 'box' seating areas with easy access. Not luxury boxes, but outside seats w/ little tables, bar stools and counters, etc etc. Or just more aisles to give everyone better access. What did Cal expect with 20 seat wide rows? Should have had 8-12 seat wide rows with more aisles (obviously there is a surplus of unsold seats). Or at least areas with that option. 8 is great because people often buy in 4's and therefore the only people who have to get up when getting in and out are people you came with. It could take a couple of plays just to get down a row now. I don't see how making it hard for the best donors to A) watch the game, or B) get into/out of the club or restrooms was/is good business. The 'value' of the seats isn't just due to being on the 50, but the amenities offered, which if one can't move in or out, are greatly reduced.

I think the idea of free alcohol is bad and I don't understand why we do that now. That encourages drunkenness. Even the clubs on the "club level" at most pro stadiums don't have unlimited free liquor.

That said, I don't see why selling beer at outrageous prices for those willing to pay it is an issue. Most students aren't going to cough up $12 for a 6 ounce beer and high prices discourage bad behavior. I personally like having a beer or two during a game. I had one during the Holiday Bowl when Cal played Texas Tech and I didn't see anyone getting crazy. I have been to Staples Center a few times for both the NBA and the Pac-10 Tournament and they also sold beer without anyone getting crazy.

I think it would be a good way to make money. If security is an issue then it will be an issue if the stadium sells liquor or not, because apparently plenty of people are sneaking in their own anyway (or getting tanked beforehand). Security should be able to quickly remove anyone being a jerk no matter what is motivating their behavior.

dimitrig;842353203 said:

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I think the idea of free alcohol is bad and I don't understand why we do that now. That encourages drunkenness. Even the clubs on the "club level" at most pro stadiums don't have unlimited free liquor.

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Free I guess isn't the right word. It's $8000 for a seat + food + alcohol. Some choose not to partake in the alcohol part. And it appears some choose not to partake in the seat part....

dimitrig;842353203 said:

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That said, I don't see why selling beer at outrageous prices for those willing to pay it is an issue. Most students aren't going to cough up $12 for a 6 ounce beer and high prices discourage bad behavior.

I think it would be a good way to make money.

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As has been stated, Pac 12 conference rules state that alcohol can only be served in sections that are separated from the general public seats... aka clubs. I'm not sure it would make all that much additional money at Cal given the pricing structure of the Field Club - people are paying an exorbitant amount for those seats, maybe some would drop to regular seats if alcohol were offered?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11392186/colleges-turning-beer-sales-stadiums-alternative-revenue-stream

Interestingly, this ESPN article says WVU makes about $500k from beer sales yearly and the number of alcohol incidents has DECREASED since they started selling. I'd assume WVU is selling more beer than we ever would. Still, it would be nice to have a few at the games. I agree, price it high. Pocket the profits. But the other interesting point in the ESPN articles was that the university takes in $2 for every $5 beer sold. The concession operator gets the rest. And they might have an incentive to sell more ( by having lower priced beer) to get higher profits.

ColoradoBear1;842353186 said:

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I'm not quite sure Cal Athletics and their architect thought through the seating in the club sections - they offer free food and booze, but the rows are 20 seats wide, even in the University Club. You see a lot of the new craze at club seats in the pros and other colleges is smaller 'box' seating areas with easy access. Not luxury boxes, but outside seats w/ little tables, bar stools and counters, etc etc. Or just more aisles to give everyone better access. What did Cal expect with 20 seat wide rows? Should have had 8-12 seat wide rows with more aisles (obviously there is a surplus of unsold seats). Or at least areas with that option. 8 is great because people often buy in 4's and therefore the only people who have to get up when getting in and out are people you came with. It could take a couple of plays just to get down a row now. I don't see how making it hard for the best donors to A) watch the game, or B) get into/out of the club or restrooms was/is good business. The 'value' of the seats isn't just due to being on the 50, but the amenities offered, which if one can't move in or out, are greatly reduced.

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As always Colorado, you're spot on. The row size is goofy. I think GG is now half the width it was pre-renovation (when it was like 50 seats across and completely absurd) and I think Cal thought that slimming it down to 20 would remove all the issues. Wrong!!

We wrestled with whether to sit on the aisle (at the 50) or more in the middle of the row (between the 40 and the 45). Luckily we chose more to the middle. Those folks in the aisle have almost continuous traffic. We don't tend to get up that much (I'll actually stay in my seat for Halftime most games) but some folks can't resist the allure of the "free" food and booze. It's a weird psychological phenomenon. I've seen Centimillionaires sticking "free" hotdogs in their purses to take home for later. For some people enough is never enough.

Sebastabear;842353309 said:

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I've seen Centimillionaires sticking "free" hotdogs in their purses to take home for later. For some people enough is never enough.

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Shhh - that was my little secret. I didn't become a centimillionaire without just by earning a lot. Saving money on a hot dog here and a hot dog there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

Unit2Sucks;842353361 said:

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Shhh - that was my little secret. I didn't become a centimillionaire without just by earning a lot. Saving money on a hot dog here and a hot dog there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

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Oh you have wiener money?

socaliganbear;842353368 said:

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Oh you have wiener money?

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Let's just say I have more than a million cents and no sense at the same time.

Yes, because I love paying $10 for 10oz., of mediocre beer.
And we can pay for the stadium.

When was it allowed??????

I am against it. a friend just non renewed ESP field level due to all the drunks going in and out all game and blocking his view.

Junior Mints! I want Junior Mints and bring back Frozen Orange and screw all those Salmonella scares.

Unit2Sucks;842353361 said:

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Shhh - that was my little secret. I didn't become a centimillionaire without just by earning a lot. Saving money on a hot dog here and a hot dog there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

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Shhh. You're giving away our secrets.

Unit2Sucks;842353361 said:

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Shhh - that was my little secret. I didn't become a centimillionaire without just by earning a lot. Saving money on a hot dog here and a hot dog there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money.

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Ha. But sadly it's true. The ultra rich can be some cheap SOBs.

oskidunker;842353398 said:

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When was it allowed??????

I am against it. a friend just non renewed ESP field level due to all the drunks going in and out all game and blocking his view.

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Maybe there would be fewer if people could buy a couple beers at the game instead of needing to need in a flask of whiskey.