Will Michigan Stadium ever sell alcoholic beverages?

The profit motive will eventually win out, and as stadiums look to compete against your couch and flatscreen, they will add alcoholic options.

Questions of "when" or "should" ... well, we'll save that for another thread I suppose.

I understand wanting a family atmosphere at the game, but I don't think selling expensive beer is really gonna change that all that much.  The students are still just going to sneak their alcohol in because they won't want to pay stadium prices, and binge drinking stadium alcohol only is tough to do because you have to keep going back and forth between your seat and concession stand.  If they're concerned about DUIs, stop selling after the 3rd quarter.  Watching 15 minutes of Michigan playing in the 4th quarter is enough to make even the drunkest person sober up. (/s.... kinda)

I don't have a strong feeling as to whether they should or should not. Plenty of arguments have been made both ways in the thread already. Personally, I won't drink during the games, but my personal choice is irrelevant.

However, the question wasn't whether Michigan SHOULD sell alcohol. The question was whether or not Michigan ever WOULD sell alcohol. And I think the answer is probably yes. I mean, the profit on a $12 cup of beer is pretty substantial.

I read something pretty sad and sobering on who drinks though. It suggested that a relatively small portion of the population accounts for a huge percentage of the consumption. I suspect this would be true in Michigan stadium. 2/3 of the stadium probably won't drink . . . I'm guessing between students and children, there are 1/3 of the attendees who are under 21. Then there are those who don't drink at all, those like WD who choose not to drink during the game, and those who are too cheap to drink a $12 beer. Most of the rest might have a single beer, maybe 2. But the last 5 percent? Well, 1 beer when they get in the stadium, another when they go to their seat. One more at halftime, and a 4th to take back to their seat for the 3rd quarter. And then, one last beer before they close the beer vendors in the 4th quarter. If my numbers are right, you're adding revenue of $500,000 a game. And money rules all.

They charge $6 for a plastic bottle of pop.

I can't even imagine what they'd charge for a tall boy.  $30?

There probably aren't many here who remember carrying beer (openly) into the stadium. I can't believe we had room, but, yes, people were in general a little smaller back then. Obviously, that's not coming back. I don't care if they sell it. I probably wouldn't buy it anyway. Not drinking during the game makes the drive home a lot safer. 

Why? You just go over by Crisler at halftime and smoke a doob, miss some of the third, but it's all good. That scene is still a scene, right?

How about they make half of the stadium a drinking zone and half dry. Everyone's happy.

What's the next issue you need me to tackle?

Hope not

If they do, I'm done with going to games, although the amount and duration of media timeouts is pushing me that way anyway.

My family stopped taking our children to NFL games because of what alcohol did to a certain set of fans. It's not that the drunks ever did anything to our kids, it was the language, occasional fight, etc. that got old real quickly.   

Michigan Stadium has always provided a relatively wholesome atmosphere which I very much appreciate and which is a reason that my sons and I have started taking young grandkids to games. 

It should happen, but it won't (not anytime soon) because too much of the old guard will bitch and moan about it and say "This is not what Bo would've wanted." 

I'm all for moderation and cutting off sales by, say, the end of the third quarter. Heck, if you want to shut it down by halftime of the OSU game because you're that worried about people getting into fights, then fine. But I really don't see the issue here. Alcohol is sold in college stadiums all across America. LSU sells it in Death Valley, and somehow Alabama comes through there every other year at night, when everyone's already been drinking for 10-12 hours, and you don't have fights or full-scale riots. So anyone who says they're concerned about it for safety or security reasons doesn't have much of a leg to stand on. 

You can't tell me this wouldn't be a huge revenue boost for the athletic program. And for those of you who say "That's what tailgating is for," well, not everyone tailgates. 

as some on that works at the stadium as a suite server, i have chimed in on this topic all of the times it has been brought up and the simple answer is nope! 

people don't understand the amount liability that the university would take on by doing this. for one off's like soccer games and NHL hockey games sure they'll do it because its not an university sanctioned event and the sponsor of the game picks up the liability not the school. 

on top of that 95% of the concession stands in the stadium are worked by non-profits such as schools and charities trying to raise money, you put alcohol into the stadium you're screwing those groups over. 

everyone has seen people in the stadium that have already drank more than they should have at a tailgate and now they can go into the stadium where they can get more booze?!?! does that make sense to anyone? yes, i know that people who are serving should know when not to serve someone who is already drunk but mistakes do happen. 

i worked the soccer game this past summer and it was a complete shit show up in the suites and i can only imagine what is was like in the actual stadium. i had to constantly tell people that they were not allowed to leave the suites that they were an open container. then just to find those same people 10 mins later doing it again. after the soccer game was over there was a people who were over served who thought it was a great idea to run out on to the field, one person was body slammed into the turf by cop. 

talking to cops that work football games and that soccer game and the soccer games in previous years they all hate it. they all said that during football season you have issues with drunk fans that come in from a tailgate but as soon as their is booze for sale in the stadium it gets 100 times worse. 

I would prefer the hard stuff!

Hope not 

The stadium experience has already become dominated by drunken meatheads in our area. I can't imagine anything improving with the addition of alcohol sales.

I like a beer as much as the next guy, but hard pass.

Hope not.

We had a guy last year who tailgates next to us get so drunk he shit his pants.His mom had to take him into the Salvation Army bathroom to clean him up and buy him clothes. I'm glad it happened at a tailgate and not in the stands next to me. I think we keep it alcohol-free, there's plenty of time at a tailgate to get our drink on

Hope not. 

Yeah, especially for noon games!  People sneak their own booze into the stadium as it is, now.  Would be nice to be able to get a cold beer.  

I attended the Winter Classic and stood in line for beer for far too long. It took so long to get one beer I didn't go back for another. I'm good with how the Stadium currently is. I can wait until the end of the game for another beer.

I usually down five beers when this team plays ND/OSU/MSU or PSU/Wisconsin (typically the only teams standing in our way for a shot at the B1G title), because f it, that's the only way I'm getting through watching this.

We were there for the App State revenge game (took my son for the tour prior to applying for admission).

To be honest, I was actually wishing I could have a beer then.  I'm not a drinker normally, but it was warm out and very festive and I got by just having a coke.

I'm fine with no alcohol there. 

No

God I hope not. 

When Notre Dame and OSU come to town, your gonna wish they served alcoholic beverages.

I’m supporting of it. I just went to the Bama/ TAMU game and being able to buy some beers was awesome. Atmosphere was great and nothing was out of hand that I saw. 

I can’t stand waiting in line at the concession stands any more so I would probably not partake. However if it were easy to get from a walking vendor I might indulge. 

Id like to see one change only.  

 Go back to grass field 

Probably

I hope they never sell alcohol. Just the cramped seating combined with open beer cups spells disaster. Maybe have a beer tent area but no alcohol allowed inside the stadium. Just my two cents.

I hope the never do. Enough people get up and down already.