Oregon officials may somehow have found a way to make Autzen Stadium louder without doing an ounce of construction and bringing in more money to boot.
A school release on Thursday detailed many of the changes headed to Eugene for the 2018 season and while new entry policies, a clear bag rule and other items were news, the headliner of the new additions for the upcoming year is the expansion of beer and wine sales to general concession stands all over the stadium.
“The Autzen Stadium experience is the best and most magical in college football, and we are always looking for ways to enhance that experience for our great fans,” Athletic Director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “These changes also reflect best practices in the industry regarding fan safety and the high priority we place on a safe and positive experience for everyone attending an Oregon football game.”
Sales of alcohol will not be happening in student sections and the school is also increasing the number of game-day staff devoted to monitoring consumption to deal with the expanded liquor offerings. This is being labeled as part of a one-year pilot program that also comes with preventing re-entering the stadium and expanded parking lot times on game day. There was no additional information given as to what kinds of beers and wines the Ducks would be selling but given the local scene on both fronts, something says that you won’t be limited to just having a Bud Light available on Saturdays at the stadium.
The news in Eugene comes right on the heels of a similar new alcohol policy at Arizona. The Pac-12 now has five schools that offer some sort of alcohol sales in general seating areas, including both programs in Arizona and Oregon, as well as at Washington State. Given how quickly many universities are tapping into this market, it probably won’t be long before we see the rest of the league go down a similar road in the near future.