Barnes: not necessarily opposed to alcohol sales

[TIGER-PAUL]

Pitt AD Scott Barnes not necessarily opposed to alcohol sales at football games. Pointed to data that shows it can lead to fewer incidents
Barnes reiterated, though, that it’s not totally his call on something like that
@SWernerPG

 

[JoseLind13]

It doesn't seem like a great argument to implement a policy to "lead to fewer incidents" when there seemingly is no real problem with such "incidents" in the current format. I'm probably in the minority, but I will continue to think this is a horrible idea. No thanks.

Just win, the seats fill, and it's an irrelevant and unnecessary topic.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

It doesn't seem like a great argument to implement a policy to "lead to fewer incidents" when there seemingly is no real problem with such "incidents" in the current format. I'm probably in the minority, but I will continue to think this is a horrible idea. No thanks.

Just win, the seats fill, and it's an irrelevant and unnecessary topic.

Hear! Hear!

 

[bwh05]

we need to do whatever we can to sell tickets and the surveys show people support alcohol sales.

 

[JoseLind13]

we need to do whatever we can to sell tickets and the surveys show people support alcohol sales.

Selling tickets really hasn't been the major issue... ticket holders not showing up is the reality. Winning is a more powerful cure to that trend than beer.

 

[Bradlib Zannamaker]

The more booze the better, is what I always say

 

[Pitt-fan-in-Charlotte]

There's always a few casual fans in my group that decide to not go in because they want to drink a few

Any idea who the beer revenue would go to?

 

[mdpitt]

Pitt AD Scott Barnes not necessarily opposed to alcohol sales at football games. Pointed to data that shows it can lead to fewer incidents
Barnes reiterated, though, that it’s not totally his call on something like that
@SWernerPG

Alcohol makes a stadium 28.29% louder. I am all for it.

I totally made this figure up but I bet it's true.

 

[JSSTartan]

I think this is an interesting topic to flesh out and discuss. On the one hand you want it to be family friendly, etc., but on the other hand, the game takes place in a major US City, in a stadium that houses a professional football team that serves alcohol during its games. I personally do not believe that serving beer, wine, etc., will negatively influence attendees behavior all that much (students and others tailgate outside as it is).

I know we could go around and around on the merits of this but perhaps a pilot of some sort is necessary to determine reasonableness, revenue projections, cost of (perhaps?) more security, etc.

Maybe if they sold it only during the first half and through halftime but closed it down to start the third quarter we could have something that is responsible yet useful to improve the overall game experience. Wins, no doubt, solve a LOT!

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

How much do they sell at Pirate games? I'd think Pitt would be close to that?

 

[OriginalEther]

There's always a few casual fans in my group that decide to not go in because they want to drink a few

You know, I've been on the against selling alcohol side of this debate, but I got to admit, it's more because of that excuse more than anything else, because it's about as lame as an excuse as one can get.

What they need to do is better publicize that you can get alcohol in the Club Seats.

 

[Mark_77]

It doesn't seem like a great argument to implement a policy to "lead to fewer incidents" when there seemingly is no real problem with such "incidents" in the current format. I'm probably in the minority, but I will continue to think this is a horrible idea. No thanks.

Just win, the seats fill, and it's an irrelevant and unnecessary topic.

I agree that I would prefer that they did not allow alcohol sales at college games. However, I am older now and most likely would have supported it 30 years ago.
While I am not in favor of it, I have gotten to the point that it would not really bother me if they did do it. While there may be a few extra incidents as a result of buying alcohol at the game, it may minimize a few incidents where guys are pounding them extra hard prior to game time and showing up particularly loaded.
I think it is a csae of 6 of one and half dozen of the other.

Hail to Pitt!!!

 

[JoseLind13]

On second thought, I guess I could support the idea of giving alcohol to the student section from Sweet Caroline until the end of the game.

 

[pitt-girl]

You know, I've been on the against selling alcohol side of this debate, but I got to admit, it's more because of that excuse more than anything else, because it's about as lame as an excuse as one can get.

What they need to do is better publicize that you can get alcohol in the Club Seats.

I agree. When/if Pitt gets to the point of selling all the Club Seats on a consistent basis, then perhaps this makes sense. I understand getting people into the stadium, but Pitt desperately needs to increase their donation levels. Getting someone to buy a $5 ticket to a game isn't helping. Do any of us think there are people out there who aren't buying tickets because they can't buy beer? The solution for everything is WINNING. It cures all ills.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

You know, I've been on the against selling alcohol side of this debate, but I got to admit, it's more because of that excuse more than anything else, because it's about as lame as an excuse as one can get.

What they need to do is better publicize that you can get alcohol in the Club Seats.

I'm generally neutral about the beer sales issue. But if the argument against beer sales is one that involves safety and behavioral issues, then shouldn't alcohol sales be eliminated in the Club sections, too? To me, it sounds hypocritical that one IS permitted to buy alcohol - but only if one sits in a better (higher priced) seat.

People sitting in non-club seats who want to drink alcohol at games have their ways of sneaking it in, so Heinz Field is losing money on the sale of beer that they might otherwise be getting.

 

[burnie1105]

In theory, if you have beer in the stadium, that's less incentive to drink heavily while tailgating. Sure, people (especially students) may end up drinking more overall, but you are adding 3-4 hours worth of time to the equation. Keeps everyone at a good level instead of walking through the turnstile blackout drunk.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...les-at-Heinz-Field-games/stories/201505150175

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

In theory, if you have beer in the stadium, that's less incentive to drink heavily while tailgating. Sure, people (especially students) may end up drinking more overall, but you are adding 3-4 hours worth of time to the equation. Keeps everyone at a good level instead of walking through the turnstile blackout drunk.

Yeah, in theory, maybe. But as anyone who's ever been to a Stillers game knows, what happens in the real world frequently doesn't match up with the theory.

 

[JHud986]

What percentage of vending does Pitt get? Would this also apply to alcohol sales as well, or
would it be handled differently?
Would like to know this to help make the decision.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

What percentage of vending does Pitt get? Would this also apply to alcohol sales as well, or
would it be handled differently?
Would like to know this to help make the decision.

good point

 

[Pitt-Chains]

Pitt AD Scott Barnes not necessarily opposed to alcohol sales at football games. Pointed to data that shows it can lead to fewer incidents
Barnes reiterated, though, that it’s not totally his call on something like that
@SWernerPG

Someone say free beer ?

 

[UkiePanther]

It doesn't seem like a great argument to implement a policy to "lead to fewer incidents" when there seemingly is no real problem with such "incidents" in the current format. I'm probably in the minority, but I will continue to think this is a horrible idea. No thanks.

Just win, the seats fill, and it's an irrelevant and unnecessary topic.

For the love of god, stop it with this lazy excuse "Win, and they will come." There are so many things our athletic department can do to help the team on the field win. By taking measures to get more people in the seats and generating a better atmosphere, it'll make more recruits want to play here, which will put a better product on the field, which theoretically will equate to more wins over the long haul. It's not as cut and dry as "win, and they will come." We, and the athletic department, have to do our parts to make sure the atmosphere at Heinz Field draws recruits. While I'm not convinced alcohol sales will be that much of an attendance boost, it most certainly can't hurt.

 

[pitt-girl]

For the love of god, stop it with this lazy excuse "Win, and they will come." There are so many things our athletic department can do to help the team on the field win. By taking measures to get more people in the seats and generating a better atmosphere, it'll make more recruits want to play here, which will put a better product on the field, which theoretically will equate to more wins over the long haul. It's not as cut and dry as "win, and they will come." We, and the athletic department, have to do our parts to make sure the atmosphere at Heinz Field draws recruits. While I'm not convinced alcohol sales will be that much of an attendance boost, it most certainly can't hurt.

It's not a lazy excuse - it is the appropriate response for a college team located in a pro city. Do you really believe offering beer for sale or more pageantry will entice the casual fan? Certainly, the Athletic Department can and should come up with more exciting things before and during the game, but in this city IMHO, you will never consistently draw more fans without winning. Period. And the same goes for higher echelon recruits too. Narduzzi and Co can recruit their butts off, but it's the results on the field that matter the most.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

For the love of god, stop it with this lazy excuse "Win, and they will come." There are so many things our athletic department can do to help the team on the field win. By taking measures to get more people in the seats and generating a better atmosphere, it'll make more recruits want to play here, which will put a better product on the field, which theoretically will equate to more wins over the long haul. It's not as cut and dry as "win, and they will come." We, and the athletic department, have to do our parts to make sure the atmosphere at Heinz Field draws recruits. While I'm not convinced alcohol sales will be that much of an attendance boost, it most certainly can't hurt.

Agree 100%.

Now if they sold 12 oz IPAs for $3 instead of $7-$8 light beer they might "draugh" more fans.

 

[rpost3]

You have to make it an event. The game itself is not enough to hold people's interests. MLS has succeeded in making their games events, KC especially. That's why college football programs are consulting MLS teams whose attendance compared to other pro soccer leagues is disproportionally large compared to the quality of the league itself. You gotta cater to the locals. Pittsburgh is turning into a food and drink hotbed, just like a lot of major American metro areas. Ignoring its drawing power might be a mistake. I'm glad the school is exploring the possibility.

 

[bwh05]

And let's face it, what about our track record of the last 30 years suggests we're going to win EVERY season and fill the stadium? We need to use every possible advantage to get butts in the seats, create an atmosphere, and raise $$ in the process. If people want to spend $11 on beer at games then so be it. People that create alcohol related issues are getting drunk before games, not during anyways.

 

[rpost3]

And let's face it, what about our track record of the last 30 years suggests we're going to win EVERY season and fill the stadium? We need to use every possible advantage to get butts in the seats

...especially with no marquee annual game. Likelihood of a long term deal with PSU looks bleak. Same with WVU. ND is obviously out of the question now that we have to share them with the ACC.
Pitt Athletics is spending money, but it's gotta come from somewhere. Alcohol sales are worth exploring.

 

[JoseLind13]

For those of you shouting and selling this idea that beer sales will magically boost attendance and create a better game day atmosphere, below is the list of schools that sold alcohol to general seating areas last season. It's not exactly the murder's row of game day meccas to watch college football.

Campus stadiums

• Akron
• Bowling Green
• Cincinnati
• Colorado State
• Houston
• Kent State
• Louisiana-Lafayette
• Louisiana-Monroe
• Louisville
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• North Texas
• SMU
• Syracuse
• Toledo
• Troy
• Tulane
• UNLV
• UTEP
• Western Kentucky
• West Virginia

Off-campus stadiums

• Connecticut
• Georgia State
• Hawaii
• Massachusetts (3 games at Gillette Stadium)
• Memphis
• Miami
• San Diego State
• South Alabama
• South Florida
• Temple
• Texas-San Antonio

 

[rpost3]

For those of you shouting and selling this idea that beer sales will magically boost attendance and create a better game day atmosphere, below is the list of schools that sold alcohol to general seating areas last season. It's not exactly the murder's row of game day meccas to watch college football.

Campus stadiums

• Akron
• Bowling Green
• Cincinnati
• Colorado State
• Houston
• Kent State
• Louisiana-Lafayette
• Louisiana-Monroe
• Louisville
• Minnesota
• Nevada
• North Texas
• SMU
• Syracuse
• Toledo
• Troy
• Tulane
• UNLV
• UTEP
• Western Kentucky
• West Virginia

Off-campus stadiums

• Connecticut
• Georgia State
• Hawaii
• Massachusetts (3 games at Gillette Stadium)
• Memphis
• Miami
• San Diego State
• South Alabama
• South Florida
• Temple
• Texas-San Antonio

I have one pet peeve: botched science/math/statistics.
Show me a graph of their attendance before and during beer sales.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I have one pet peeve: botched science/math/statistics.
Show me a graph of their attendance before and during beer sales.

He gave you the list.
You can investigate and prove it's has a positive correlation to attendance.

 

[rpost3]

He gave you the list.
You can investigate and prove it's has a positive correlation to attendance.

Nnnnnnnnnnnope.
I'm not the one trying to prove something here. He made the assertion. He can prove it. Otherwise his list is nothing but gibberish.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Actually his list is a simple recitation of the facts. The part of his post that wasn't a simple posting of the facts was his assertion that the schools on the list are not the "murder's row of game day meccas to watch college football". And while that is merely his opinion, in this case his opinion happens to be 100% correct.

My pet peeve is people who don't understand the difference between facts and opinions when participating in a discussion.

 

[rpost3]

America's math and science illiteracy on full display right in this thread.

Joe, let me explain something to you. The thread is about how alcohol could improve Pitt's revenue and/or attendance. Do you see anything in that list showing attendance and/or revenue before beer sales as opposed to during beer sales?

I can't believe I have to actually explain this.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

America's math and science illiteracy on full display right in this thread.

Joe, let me explain something to you. The thread is about how alcohol could improve Pitt's revenue and/or attendance. Do you see anything in that list showing attendance and/or revenue before beer sales as opposed to during beer sales?

I can't believe I have to actually explain this.

Yes,'those schools aren't largely attended.
If you want it scientifically quantified, you can compile the averages before and after alcohol sales to see if they are correlated.
The largest attendance schools are not on the alcohol sales list.

Since the null hypothesis is attendance will be unaffected... The onus is on those suggesting changing that variable still improve attendance to prove it.

Hint, that would be Scientific though still not definitive as there are multiple variables to control for.... Which means it's a silly proposition to begin with.

Now counter with your own Scientific position, but l won't hold my breath... It's not your m.o. To actually do the analysis.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

America's math and science illiteracy on full display right in this thread.

Joe, let me explain something to you. The thread is about how alcohol could improve Pitt's revenue and/or attendance. Do you see anything in that list showing attendance and/or revenue before beer sales as opposed to during beer sales?

I can't believe I have to actually explain this.

No, I don't see anything in his list showing attendance and/or revenues before beer sales as opposed to during beer sales. Do you see anything in his post that asserts that the list shows anything of the sort? Because there isn't anything of the sort there. The problem here isn't with my math and science literacy (as an engineer I'd say those are both just fine), it's with your lack of reading comprehension in thinking that his post says something that it clearly does not say.

However if you want to make the larger point on the topic you want to discuss, the OP has provided you with the proper starting point. As has been suggested you are obviously free to do the research and tell us all the results. I think it would be interesting to see the results of such research (even if many of the schools on the list are not really comparable to us), but for some reason I'm not holding my breath waiting for you to perform such an analysis.

And for the record, it doesn't surprise me that I had to explain this to you, as I've been reading message boards for a very long time.

 

[rpost3]

Yes,'those schools aren't largely attended.
If you want it scientifically quantified, you can compile the averages before and after alcohol sales to see if they are correlated.
The largest attendance schools are not on the alcohol sales list.

Since the null hypothesis is attendance will be unaffected... The onus is on those suggesting changing that variable still improve attendance to prove it.

Hint, that would be Scientific though still not definitive as there are multiple variables to control for.... Which means it's a silly proposition to begin with.

Now counter with your own Scientific position, but l won't hold my breath... It's not your m.o. To actually do the analysis.

I'm not making the claim. In fact I'm open to seeing wtever the results are.
You on the other hand have already dismissed beer sales to be unprofitable elsewhere in the discussion despite not showing your work.
Doesn't matter to me whether you support the conclusions reached by the university or not, but way to talk out you ass as usual.

 

[rpost3]

No, I don't see anything in his list showing attendance and/or revenues before beer sales as opposed to during beer sales. Do you see anything in his post that asserts that the list shows anything of the sort? Because there isn't anything of the sort there. The problem here isn't with my math and science literacy (as an engineer I'd say those are both just fine), it's with your lack of reading comprehension in thinking that his post says something that it clearly does not say.

However if you want to make the larger point on the topic you want to discuss, the OP has provided you with the proper starting point. As has been suggested you are obviously free to do the research and tell us all the results. I think it would be interesting to see the results of such research (even if many of the schools on the list are not really comparable to us), but for some reason I'm not holding my breath waiting for you to perform such an analysis.

And for the record, it doesn't surprise me that I had to explain this to you, as I've been reading message boards for a very long time.

So his list is worthless since it offers nothing to the conversation about beer sales' profitability or lack thereof. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

So his list is worthless since it offers nothing to the conversation about beer sales' profitability or lack thereof. Thanks for clarifying.

Nor have you.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

I'm not making the claim. In fact I'm open to seeing wtever the results are.
You on the other hand have already dismissed beer sales to be unprofitable elsewhere in the discussion despite not showing your work.
Doesn't matter to me whether you support the conclusions reached by the university or not, but way to talk out you ass as usual.

I have no opinion whether way about if they should or not. I have Club seats, so I have the option to buy.

I do have the opinion it will have no affect on attendance... Which is based on common sense as nobody refrain from attending Pitt football games due to the lack of beer being sold. Nobody.

 

[rpost3]

Nor have you.

lol no shit. I'm not pretending to know whether it's profitable or not. The only stance I've taken is beer sales is worth exploring.