It’s not as though Ohio State is hurting for cash these days, but a little extra is always nice. This fall Ohio State will begin a trial run of beer and wine sales inside Ohio Stadium.
On Friday the university announced a pilot program that will provide beer and wine to fans with access to the stadium’s suites and club seats. A total of 4,370 seats are found within these areas, so this is just a small step toward potential full-stadium alcohol sales to the 100,000 fans that can pack Ohio Stadium on any Saturday in the fall.
This will not be the first time beer and wine have been sold inside Ohio Stadium though. The university tested sales this summer during various concerts and the recent Cleveland Browns training camp event in Columbus. Ohio State would not even be the first school within the state’s borders to offer beer for sale at football games. Akron, Bowling Green, Kent State and Toledo of the MAC all offer alcohol sales to fans. Cincinnati of the American Athletic Conference does as well.
Minnesota is the only other Big Ten school to currently offer alcohol sales to fans on game days, but it continues to be an area monitored and reviewed by many across the conference and nation. Minnesota, along with West Virginia, have been some of the early adopters and have shown good results so far.