LSU does not currently sell alcohol at football games, but that might change as soon as this fall.
According to Business Report, LSU is hoping to have a beer garden in place at Tiger Stadium for the start of the 2017 season.
“We are aggressively working to have it in place in the fall,” says LSU Spokesman Ernie Ballard. “But we are still working through everything to make it happen.”
This concept has been in the works for some time:
More recently, during an interview on LSU’s pregame radio show last September, he said a beer garden “was on the horizon,” though he didn’t specify when.
Now, it appears the beer garden concept—which would limit beer sales to a single area in the stadium as opposed to having taps at all concession stands—could happen this year. Talks between the university’s athletic department brass and the Southeastern Conference are under way, and appear to be going well.
“They are having those conversations now,” he says. “They are working towards doing it in the fall.”
If you’re wondering why the SEC is involved, it’s because the conference actually doesn’t allow it’s member institutions to sell alcohol at sporting events. The “beer garden” would fit into a loophole of sorts, which is the most Louisiana thing imaginable.
Is it a great idea to sell beer inside the stadium? Well, maybe? Games can be rough experiences for fans as it is, and adding more access to alcohol within the stadium is probably not the best way to improve it. However, fans drink outside now, along with sneaking in flasks and other personal options, so in the end this might not even matter all that much, aside from a boost in revenue.
Also, there’s a “Les Miles end-of-game strategy” joke in here somewhere, even though he’s gone now.