Bottoms up!

Commentary

Southern Illinois University has no plans to look into beer sales at athletic events, according to Athletic Director Paul Kowalczyk.

Many universities decline to serve alcohol because of the negatives that come with this issue. But by not selling beer at its sporting events while allowing it outside, the University has no moral high ground to stand on.

Just as Fred's, the popular BYOB tavern, is no better than any bar on the Strip that sells alcohol, SIU cannot claim to be anti-alcohol when it encourages people to drink outside McAndrew Stadium before, during and after football games.

Underage drinking could be much more rigidly controlled by clamping down on tailgating while supervising all beer sales in and around the stadium. Tailgating could be cut off during the game; after all, if these people aren't even watching the game, why should they be allowed to drink in public on University property?

If I can't legally walk down the streets of Carbondale while drinking a beer, why should people be allowed to loiter in the parking lot during the game drinking beer and feigning support for the football team?

By encouraging tailgating, the University is also allowing underage drinking to prosper in the parking lots outside of the stadium.

If it instituted a wristband system and a one-beer at a time limit, underage drinkers would find it much more difficult to score a brew.

The current tailgating situation also encourages fans to remain outside during the game, where they can drink beer and eat cheap food.

In an athletic department that's strapped for cash, beer sales would bring in a healthy chunk of change.

If the Division II University of Northern Colorado can rake in $19,000 per year in beer sales, then SIU could easily raise $50,000 a year for its programs, and this doesn't even include the extra revenue from increased attendance.

This doesn't even consider the sponsorships that the breweries would want to heap on the university.

Budweiser, Miller or Coors would literally fight to gain the right to sell beer at SIU athletic events.

They would buy signage, advertise and make donations to the department and the university as a whole.

You say that beer sales would kill the family atmosphere?

Just add a family friendly area where alcohol is not permitted.

Yes, beer would cause a few more problems, but there's always going to be idiots who ruin every situation for the majority of well-behaved fans. We shouldn't let a few stupid people ruin the fun for the masses like we have in so many other areas of society.

Extra security would also be needed, but this would create much-needed jobs in an area with few employment opportunities.

In addition to increasing attendance, beer sales would improve our home field advantage. Who doesn't get a bit more boisterous after they've knocked back a couple of cold ones?

The uproar over the skyrocketing athletic fee that all students must pay could also be a thing of the past if beer were sold.

Beer and sports are just a natural combination.

Even though beer is not permitted to be sold on state property, if an exception can be made for the Bears, why not for us? SIU students probably drink more per person than any Bears fan. And we don't even have to drive 150 miles to get home from the game.

Granted, Chancellor Walter Wendler would be about as likely to go for this plan as an SIU fan would be to root for SEMO, but this shouldn't stop the University from putting aside its personal bias and seriously study the issue.

Until that time comes, the parking lot will still be a more popular locale than the stadium.

Ethan is a senior in journalism. His views do not reflect those of the Daily Egyptian