Alcohol to be sold stadium-wide in new policy at Ohio Stadium

NBC4i
By Olivia Fecteau
June 9, 2016
COLUMBUS (WCMH) — The Ohio State University has announced there will be alcohol sales stadium-wide as part of new policies being implemented at Ohio Stadium.
The policy will take effect with the Buckeye Country Superfest June 18 through 19 and then continue for games. Jack Miner of OSU’s athletics council said the university will evaluate whether each concert or special event will have beer sales, but he said that games would have them from now on.
Fans will be able to buy beer inside the Horseshoe, although Miner said there will be limits imposed.
“They’ll check your ID every single time,” Miner said. “They’ll let you buy two beers at a time. It’s not going to be an armload of beer.”
Miner said the university tested out the program last year in the Club and Suite sections and that it was successful. He said Ohio Stadium would be following in the footsteps of other stadiums that now sell alcohol.
“They see fewer alcohol incidents in the stadium when they allow alcohol sales, because people aren’t chugging beers before walking into the stadium,” Miner said.
“I’m fine with it as long as it’s taken care of responsibly, and I’m sure it will be,” Mike Bible of Bellefontaine said. “I’m good with the alcohol policy here. I think it’ll actually make the atmosphere here a little bit better.”
Matthew Wright, a graduate student in civil engineering, said he used to work at a stadium in Pittsburgh where beer was sold during baseball games and that the stadium cut sales off at the seventh inning to maintain control.
“I think as long as the university cuts alcohol off at a certain point, it makes it a lot easier for employees to control those sorts of people,” Wright said.
There is also a change to the policy on bags in the stadium. Bags that are larger than 5x8x1 inches will not be allowed into the stadium.
“This is going to increase our security measures for our fans and also expedite people getting into the stadium and also is going to help us make that sure prohibited items aren’t getting into the stadium,” OSU Police Chief Craig Stone said. “When you have a no-bag policy, it’s very easy to detect someone carrying something that appears to be a bag or a backpack or some type of briefcase. Anything that’s prohibited will be easily detected.”
There will be one exception to the policy with regard to the size of handbags:
Guests with medical or childcare needs will be permitted to carry one bag, no larger than 14x14x14-inches, into the stadium through one of these locations: the Band Center entrance between Gates 10 and 12 or the Press Entrance between the Huntington Club and Gate 23.
Miner said OSU officials were not sure how much revenue the university would take it from alcohol sales. However, the university said it plans to hire two full-time OSU police officers for a total of $300,000 per year, as well as spend $50,000 researching drug and alcohol use at events.