UM Board Of Regents Bans Alcohol At On-Campus Athletic Events

Some UM Officials, Boosters Concerned About Alcohol Ban At Athletic Events

The Univ. of Minnesota (UM) Board of Regents yesterday "voted 10 to 2 to make all athletic events on campus alcohol free" after state legislators were "angered by the university's plan to sell alcohol only in private suites and premium seats at the new TCF Bank Stadium," according to a front-page piece by Alex Ebert of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The vote brings UM "in compliance with a recently passed state law that requires alcohol sales be available to all fans at university events -- or none." It also "ends the long-standing practice of the Athletic Department serving, but not selling, alcohol in private suites leased to fans at Mariucci and Williams arenas." However, the alcohol ban "concerns some [UM] officials and boosters, who fear the school could lose millions of dollars when disgruntled fans cancel their contracts for private suites and premium seats." Fees on suites and premium seats at TCF Bank Stadium are "expected to account for about" 50% of ticket revenue. In an "effort to keep suite and premium seat patrons at all three venues," UM plans to "offer discounts valued at a total of at least" $1M annually to suite holders and premium seat owners. But UM athletics booster Lou Nanne predicted that some suite and premium seat holders "will still use the opportunity to cancel their contracts." Nanne and UM President Robert Bruininks said that "many corporate supporters had planned to use the suites to entertain clients and had counted on being able to serve alcohol." Without alcohol, they "may move to one of the many other sports venues in the metro area." Ebert notes UM has been an "anomaly in recent years, allowing all fans to buy booze at football games since the team moved off-campus" to the Metrodome in '82. UM will now become "only the third Big Ten school to prohibit all alcohol at on-campus games, joining Michigan and Ohio State" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/25). 

SOBERING THOUGHTS: UM AD Joel Maturi said that "nobody has canceled a suite purchase over the alcohol issue," but "several people have asked about what compensation might be offered to them." In St. Paul, Doug Belden notes several UM regents "mentioned going back to the Legislature to see if the law could be changed after this season." State Rep. Pat Garofolo said that he "plans to introduce a bill next year to dedicate profits from stadium liquor sales to scholarships for disabled veterans" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 6/25). Meanwhile, the UM athletic department announced that "all non-premium seating at TCF Bank Stadium has been sold out" for the '09 football season, and that "only a small number of premium seats in the indoor club and suite sections of the stadium are available for purchase" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/24).