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Can selling beer help college fans drink less?
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The college football season kicked off this weekend. There were lots of superhuman feats and exciting outcomes, from a fresh-faced Alabama team beating No. 8 Michigan by 20 points to Michigan State's Le'Veon Bell running and catching for more yards than the entire Boise State team in the Spartans' 17-13 win.
But there's one thing you don't find at these games, which is a staple of the rest of top-shelf sports action: beer. You can buy it at just about any big sporting event. But colleges and universities have long eschewed the practice, saying alcohol created an undesirable atmosphere in their stadiums or didn't fit their values. Kai Ryssdal talks with Stephen J. Dubner from Freakonomics Radio about a new experiment in selling beer at college games, which has had a surprising result.
The story of this experiment starts at West Virginia University, where Oliver Luck is athletic director. At football games at WVU, he started to notice a few familiar sights -- the unbelievable, sheer athleticism, the marching bands... and the freshmen barfing all over the stadium.
"People drinking far too much at pre-game parties and tailgate parties before games. Sneaking alcohol into games. Leaving at halftime to drink even more and come back into the game,” said Luck.
Luck is the father of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck -- this year’s No. 1 NFL draft pick -- and a former NFL quarterback himself for a few years. Now, as a college athletic director, he has learned that most colleges -- in keeping with their academic mission -- do not sell alcohol at football games. But, not surprisingly, that doesn’t stop everybody, including students, from drinking. Especially because some schools, West Virginia among them, had what’s called a “pass-out” policy.
It's not what you think. This does not have anything to do with passing out from drinking too much. It has to do with the fact that you are allowed to pass out of the stadium and back in during the game -- which means you can go out and drink.
Not exactly a shocking or surprising, but that doesn’t mean schools have to be happy about it or even tolerate it. So last year Oliver Luck proposed two things. One, that West Virginia get rid of that “pass-out” policy and that it try something different inside the stadium.
"So I began to think a little bit counterintuitively that actually selling beer at our stadium would actually help us gain control,” said Luck.
Right about now you might be saying: Huh? Shouldn't selling beer in the stadium mean there will be more alcohol trouble, more arrests for underage drinking, more violence? That’s what the campus police at West Virginia last year, in the first year, were prepared for. But that is not what happened here.
"In 2010, we made 117 arrests on game days. In this past year, we only made 79. See, that’s almost a 35 percent reduction in arrests we made,” said Bob Roberts, West Virginia University police chief.
The sale of alcohol in the stadium also brought in extra revenue -- West Virginia cleared about $500,000 from beer sales that first year. They project it will probably double this year.
And Luck's experiment is expanding to other schools. The University of Minnesota wanted to try selling beer in its stadium. However, it had to get support from the state legislature first -- so Luck talked to some legislative aides along the way. As a result, this fall Minnesota will be starting a two-year trial of beer sales.
Now, the issue of alcohol abuse is complicated and not something to make light of. It's a major problem on college campuses and elsewhere and the idea of making more alcohol available in more places may strike some people as ridiculous. But what may work about this approach: When you’ve got a problem, you can stick your head in the sand or you can acknowledge the problem exists and try to come up with a new kind of solution.
"You know, you might as well face reality and try to control it and at least keep the environment as safe as you can," said Roberts.
Here are the Division 1A (FBS) teams that sell beer to all fans inside college-owned stadiums:
Kai Ryssdal: Time now for the little Freakonomics Radio. It’s that moment every couple of weeks we talk to Stephen Dubner, the co-author of the books and blog of the same name. It is “the hidden side of everything.” Dubner, how are you?
Stephen Dubner: Hey Kai, I’m good. How are you?
Ryssdal: I’m all right. Getting by.
Dubner: So the new college football season is upon us now. It’s always exciting -- the unbelievable, sheer athleticism, the marching bands and the freshmen barfing all over the stadium.
Ryssdal: OK, wait. What? That’s not what I was expecting.
Dubner: Yeah, that’s what I want to talk to you about today. Let me start with Oliver Luck. He is the athletic director at West Virginia University. That’s what he got used to seeing at football games there.
Oliver Luck: People drinking far too much at pre-game parties and tailgate parties before games. Sneaking alcohol into games. Leaving at halftime to drink even more and come back into the game.
Now, Oliver Luck happens to be the father of quarterback Andrew Luck, who is this year’s No. 1 NFL draft pick – new QB for the Indianapolis Colts. Oliver Luck was an NFL quarterback himself for a few years. And now, as a college athletic director, he learned that most colleges, in keeping with their academic mission, do not sell alcohol at football games. But not surprisingly that doesn’t stop everybody, including students, from drinking. Especially because some schools -- West Virginia among them -- had what’s called a “pass-out” policy.
Ryssdal: A what?
Dubner: Yes, you heard me right, but you’re thinking differently. This does not have anything to do with passing out from drinking too much. It has to do with the fact that you are allowed to pass out of the stadium and back in during the game -- which means you can go out and drink.
Ryssdal: This whole thing is not shocking, right? That’s the point?
Dubner: It is not. But that doesn’t mean you have to be happy about it or even tolerate it. So last year Oliver Luck proposed two things -- one, that West Virginia get rid of that “pass-out” policy, and that it try something different inside the stadium.
Luck: So I began to think a little bit counterintuitively that actually selling beer at our stadium would actually help us gain control.
Ryssdal: So here’s where I need you to explain the counterintuitive thing: You get some money from the beer sales, but how does it help you control the problem if you’re actually selling the beverage?
Dubner: Let’s do the money first. West Virginia did clear about $500,000 from beer sales that first year. They project it will probably double this year -- that’s nice. But, you’re right, now that you’re selling beer in the stadium, you might think you’re going to have more alcohol trouble -- more arrests for underage drinking, more violence. That’s what the campus police at West Virginia last year, in the first year, were prepared for. But that is not what happened here. Here’s police chief Bob Roberts:
Bob Roberts: In 2010, we made 117 arrests on game days. In this past year, we only made 79. See, that’s almost a 35 percent reduction in arrests we made.
Ryssdal: Which is good. So is Luck trying to sell this to other schools? Get them to try it?
Dubner: I wouldn’t say he’s an evangelist, quite. But when they see what’s happening there and they come for help, he gives it. The University of Minnesota wanted to try selling beer in the stadium. It had to get, however, support from the state legislature first and Luck did talk to some legislative aides along the way. Now, as a result, this fall Minnesota will be starting a two-year trial of beer sales.
Ryssdal: Which totally makes sense, right? You can drink 50 feet outside the stadium gates, but you can’t inside. I mean, come on.
Dubner: Look, this is complicated and you don’t want to make light of it. Alcohol abuse is a very major problem on college campuses and elsewhere. And the idea of making more alcohol available in more places may strike some people as ridiculous. But what I like about this approach is that, when you’ve got a problem, you can stick your head in the sand or you can acknowledge the problem exists and try to come up with a new kind of solution. That, I think, is what we’re talking about here. Listen, again, to West Virginia University police chief Bob Roberts:
Roberts: You know, you might as well face reality and try to control it and at least keep the environment as safe as you can.
Dubner: How’s that for a motto, Kai? “Controlling reality” one day at a time. I like that.
Ryssdal: Stephen Dubner, he tries to do that every day of his life. Freakonomics.com is the web site. He is back in a couple of weeks. See you, man.
Dubner: Thanks so much, Kai.
Great freakonomics piece today but Dubner offered no explanation for this seemingly bizarre behavior. It's quite simple actually, the CO$T. College students are notoriously poor but will spend what little money they have on beer. When given the choice to buy beer inside they will do so even if it is more expensive. By selling beer inside only those 21 and older have the option of having additional beer. But they will only be able to afford a FEW (this is the key) and will most likely not get drunk to the point of being arrested. However, the previous rules of allowing them to leave freely and drink beer so cheap (this is the second key) and unregulated is the reason for the out of control drinking and high arrest rates. It's similar to how drunk college kids get at the bar versus how drunk they get at a frat party where they can drink endless amounts for a mere $5-$10.
This story can tell us a great deal about the “War on Drugs.” We have tried to control illicit drug usage by criminalizing the sale and use of drugs for the past 50 years, and have succeeded only in ruining the lives of millions of our citizens and enriching the foreign drug lords by creating an inelastic market. If we were treat drugs as a public health problem, and make the drugs available in a controlled environment, we may have a shot at addressing the problem in a meaningful way. Mr. Luck’s experience at West Virginia University should be instructive and applied to larger problems.
I am so sorry to have to say this, but, DUH. Any subcontractor involved with alocohol sales in a large venue knows that the way to control the abuse is to DISSALLOW any passing in or out of the venue once a guest has been admitted to the venue. Limit quantities and kinds of beverages that are allowed into the venue; all bags are inspected at the gate. With the exception of small quantities of water, no outside beverages which are sold within the venue are allowed. The venue must provide a very visible, very authorized alcohol compliance team, whose job includes verifying a guest's age through valid ID, and providing verified adults with visible proof of compliance, cutting an inebriated guest off, and ejecting unruly drunks. Last, but in no way least, the venue must charge outrageously high prices for the available alcohol within the venue; this keeps the consumption down without affecting the profit margin. Aramark works within these parameters in many large sports stadia; how is it possible that college campuses have never heard of this?
It is also a huge liability for the facility if it is not sending alcohol compliance enforcers into the parking lot, their property - their liability, to prevent any underage drinking. people ought to be IDd outside the parking lot and given wrist bands if they are over 21. then enforcers could control the kiddos.
