Alcohol Sales Inside Stadiums In NC Is a Win For Everyone

College Stadiums Now Add More Potential Revenue, Pending Board of Trustee Approval

While most students will still be enjoying the tailgate parties hosted by numerous fraternities and sororities and other groups of fans, the state of North Carolina will be adding another beverage for sale inside stadiums soon: alcohol.

According to Steve Wiseman of the Raleigh News & Observer, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper approved a measure Tuesday that would allow the sale of wine and beer inside stadiums and arenas on college campuses. The bill, known as H.B. 389, was approved by the state house and senate and signed into law by Cooper.

The last step the law will face is for the Board of Trustees from each UNC School System universities to approve the sale of alcohol in their athletic venues.

This Should Be A No-Brainer for the Board of Trustees

The decision should be clear, this is a win-win for both the state and university, and it begs the question as to why it took this long to get this approved by the state legislature.

Before the bill was approved, the only stadium in the state that allowed the sale of alcohol inside the stadium was Wake Forest and had been doing it for nearly three years.

It’s very possible that the state had been using Wake Forest as a case study to see how the sale of alcohol would affect the stadium and the school’s revenue and liked what they saw.

If you are curious to see which places already offer alcohol stadiums, you can look at this handy-dandy little chart right here.

Other Reasons For the Change

Another reason for the change is to perhaps curb the number of people getting drunk before they even get into the stadium and perhaps.

I’ll be honest with you unless the alcohol is moderately priced, I don’t really see that this is going to curb students bringing alcohol to tailgates.

I think the best way to start getting people to buying beer and wine inside the stadium, and would be prudent of the board of trustees, should they approve it, would be to make deals with local breweries and smaller wine companies in addition to your typical Bud Lights and Miller’s.

You could have local variants at each stadium within the state and give the smaller breweries the exposure and the opportunity to market themselves to a wider demographic.

All Up to Board of Trustees Now

Whether or not what I think is good for the stadiums doesn’t matter, as now the final say will be in the hands of the board of trustees at each school.

Again, it is a no brainer, and the board of trustees would be prudent to find a way to bring more revenue to some of the biggest universities in the ACC, if not the country.