Many college athletic departments prohibit – or, at the very least, strictly regulate – alcohol sales at on-campus venues. These programs often do this for the safety of their spectators, and to limit underage drinking as much as possible. However, some schools have began opening up spirit sales on game day, and the University of Oklahoma is the most recent to follow suit.
On October 24, 2018, the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents voted to open up alcohol sales during basketball (both men’s and women’s), baseball, and softball games. These sports will serve as a trial for possible sales during football games, maybe even as early as the 2019 season. Additionally, the Board voted to allow alcohol-related advertising at home sporting events, which would be another source of revenue for the Sooners’ athletic department.
As we all know, college sports (especially football) and alcohol seem to go hand-in-hand. Whether you’re a current student or graduated 30 years ago, tailgating is often the highlight of game day. From having a casual beer with a few friends to creating a party tent, it’s nearly impossible to host a college sporting event without alcohol being present in some way. I think that OU is making a great choice when it comes to boosting concessions revenue – whether the Sooners are winning or losing, fans are going to have a reason to drink. I also think that it’s a smart move to create a “trial” period with the less-popular revenue sports. Diving straight into selling beer during football games could cause an uproar in the stadium, and get the university into a lot of legal trouble. However, by testing the waters with other sports, the Board will have a basis of what to expect for large-scale attendances. The Sooners are also giving themselves some wiggle room to work out all the kinks before football season, which will be beneficial to them in the long run. When it comes to sales, you’re going to make more money if you know what you’re doing and you do it well, point blank. Had the Board voted to jump right into selling Coors Light (or whatever your beer of choice) for the 2019 football season, they would be shooting themselves in the foot. Would they make some money from alcohol sales during that season? Yes. However, if they didn’t have experience selling beer on campus, they would run into some issues on game day that could prevent fans from purchasing alcohol at concession stands – or even coming back to games. From a sales perspective, experience is the only way you will learn how to properly do your job. It’s important to learn from your mistakes, and of course it’s more beneficial for the organization to make smaller mistakes than large-scale screw-ups.
On the other hand, let’s talk about the allowance of alcohol-related advertising. We see it all the time in professional stadiums, on TV, and even on billboards posted across town. Many colleges and universities prohibit liquor ads on their campus, most likely as a means to reduce underage drinking. Do I personally think that beer and wine ads will make minors want to consume alcohol? Probably not. You may think otherwise, which puts us at the same standstill that college athletic departments have been in since the dawn of time. Everyone’s experiences are different, and when it comes to marketing, you have to take your target market’s thoughts, beliefs, and morals into account. There’s a lot of money in alcohol sales, so universities must weigh the pros and cons of promoting these products on their campus. OU is not the first college campus to allow the sale of beer at athletic events, so they have the mistakes of others to learn from as a guide. Overall, I think the University of Oklahoma is making a great decision that will increase revenue and fan engagement.
What do you think? Should more college campuses allow the sale of alcohol at their athletic events? If so, should the selection be kept strictly to beer, or should wine and liquor be introduced as well?
Sport Spiels 