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THE WET PROJECT The Benefits of Alcohol Sales at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium THE WET PROJECT: The Benefits of Alcohol Sales at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium Prepared for: Paul Clifford Chief Executive Officer Penn State Alumni Association Sandy Barbour Athletic Director Penn State Athletics Prepared by: Spencer Rafajac Allyson Paul James Shaud April 18th 2016 LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL To: Paul Clifford, CEO - Penn State Alumni Association From: James Shaud, Spencer Rafajac, Allyson Paul Date: 4/18/16 Subject: Re-Introducing Alcohol into Penn State’s Beaver Stadium Hello Mr. Clifford, We are reaching out to you today in hopes that you might be able to take some time to review our proposal to re-introduce alcohol, namely beer, to Penn State’s football events. When we were asked by our Professor to think of something here in State College that we felt could be improved upon, a recent conversation with several Penn State Alumni came to mind. From that conversation it became apparent that many alumni miss the days when alcohol was permitted inside of Beaver Stadium. We wondered why this had changed all those years ago and that of course prompted us to do some dig- ging. After getting in contact with hundreds of people ranging from alumni, to medical professionals, and even law enforcement it became apparent that not only is the sale of alcohol at intercollegiate sporting events greatly desired, it is also greatly beneficial. These benefits, include those related to health and safety, revenue, and even in- creased morale and support from the Penn State Community. And as I am sure you already know, Penn State’s own Athletic Director, Sandy Barbour recently came out in support of serving alcohol at games in a limited capacity. Based on our findings we firmly believe that permitting beer sales at sporting events is in the best interest of the University. As we move forward in this process, should you and your staff agree with our findings, we would greatly appreciate further support from the alumni community. Thank you for your time and consideration. WE ARE, Spencer Rafajac James Shaud Allyson Paul Contents PAGE Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………… …………………. iv Introduction …………………………………………………………… ……………………………… 1 The Alumni Want Beer to be Sold at Beaver Stadium 3 Key Survey Data ………………… Other Programs Across the Country are Implementing the Sale of Beer in Football Games…5 Map of Colleges That Sell Beer in their Stadiums on and off Campus Selling Beer Generates Profits…………………….... 7 Petition for license to sell alcohol from State of PA……………………………………………. Necessary equipment and sourcing …………...…………………... ……………………….. Employee training (ID and beer distribution strategy).………….….…… …………………... Selling Beer in Beaver Stadium Protects Spectators & Promotes Responsible Drinking 9 Binge Drinking Over 21 Bracelets Conclusion 10 Works Cited 11 Appendix 12 List of Illustrations PAGE FIGURES 1. Survey Question #3 3 2. Survey Question #6 4 3. Survey Question #7 4 4. Survey Question #8 4 5. Survey Question #9 3 6. Survey Question #10 4 7. Map of College Stadiums that Sell Alcohol On/Off Campus 6 8. BottomsUp BU4-IC Dispenser 8 9. BottomsUp Plastic Cups 8 10. BottomsUp Custom Magnets 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report contains an examination of the rea- sons why Penn State University should implement a policy that allows the sale of beer at Beaver Stadium during football games. The report relies on feedback from alumni, research of similar pro- grams at other universities, and an understanding of the importance of safety for spectators. The re- port also contains the necessary actions need- ed for the implementation of this policy change. The Benefits of Seling Beer at Beaver Stadium 1. Alumni support the policy change which will better the spectator game day experience of all attening. 2. Collegiate athletic programs across the coun- try have been implementing similar policies re- cently. There is both precedent for Penn State and positive data to backup this change. 3. Selling beer provides a new source of reve- nue for Penn State Athletics. The new revenue can be used productively across the University. 4. Having beer avialable will prevent bindge drinking by changing tailgating behavior. Cre- ating a safer drinking environment for alum- ni will lead to less alochol incidents on gameday and set a better example for students. Implimenting the Sale of Beer in Beaver Stadium 1. Gain a license for Beaver Stadium to sell beer from the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. 2. Install necessary equipment for the de- livery, storage, and dispensing of beer in- side the stadium at concession areas. 3. Train staff on the necessary procedures for controlling the sale of beer and containing it to certain sections. By the end of this report, the reader will understand the many positives of selling beer at Beaver stadium as well as have a knowledge of the actions needed to do so. Reintroducing Alcohol Sales into Beaver Stadium The Pennsylvania State University is widely known for its extensive and renowned athletic programs with almost 30 men and women’s teams and over 15 different sport- ing facilities. However, Penn State is most recognized for one team and facility in particular. PSU’s football team, the Nittany Lions, and the famous Beaver Stadi- um ultimately come out on top. A key aspect that attaches it- self to the experience of a Penn State sporting event is the tail- gates that come before hand. Pre- and post-game tailgating is a tradition that makes football Saturdays and other events an exciting experience. Alumni fam- ilies and friends gather to enjoy food, drink, and the gameday atmosphere, creating Penn State memories that last a lifetime. The purpose of this report is to explain the benefits of, and the necessary steps for, selling beer at Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. After the conclusion, the Penn State Alumni Association Board of Directors will be able to see the following: Penn State is miss- ing out on the many benefits of selling beer at athletic events and the ongoing failure to recog- nize the opportunity at hand puts the University at a strategic dis- advantage. Penn State can not afford to ignore something that is in the best interest of both its fans and the University as a whole. 1 Alumni are all too familiar with the nega- tives stemming from lack of beer sales in sporting events. What happens when you tell fans who started tailgating at 10:00 that come the noon-time kick-off they will be cut off because no alcohol is al- lowed or sold inside the stadium? Often, this causes alumni and students to binge drink, an unsafe practice with the add- ed detriment of typically leading to low- er overall attendance. Even if fans enter the stadium they are far less likely to stay for the duration and are much more like- ly to make dangerous and irrational de- cisions. Alumni also will recognize the loss of revenue for the Athletic Department. In order to investigate the issue we: 1. Analyzed trends of athletic programs across the country regarding the im- plementation of beer sales, focusing specifically on additional revenue, profit, gameday alcohol incidents, at- tendance, and attendee feedback. 2. Conducted various interviews, both in person and through online surveys. We received feedback from hundreds of alumni ranging from those who gradu- ated as little as 1 year ago to 30+ years ago. Feedback was used to determine support, perceived feasibility, and imple- mentation specific information such as a price-point and tailgating preferences. 3. Extrapolated the gathered informa- tion to fit a Penn State implementa- tion of a beer selling policy. Both data from other programs and alumni feed- back was used to project all import- ant criteria as accurately as possible. The problem can be fixed with relative ease and doing so would not only in- crease the safety and enjoyment of sporting event attendees but also has the potential to generate millions of dollars in additional revenues for the university and the athletic department. 2 The Alumni Want Beer to be Sold at Beaver Stadium Figure 1 Alumni response clearly indicates that Penn State alumni would enjoy buying beer at Football games. Enjoying a cold refreshing brew while watching the Nittany Lions would improve the game experience for many alumni. Alumni can purchase beer at any professional sporting event they attend for good reason: fans enjoy it. Alumni would be encouraged to drink more responsibly at tailgates and enter the game on time. Penn State Football games run over three hours and Alum- ni want to be able to buy beer during this time. The enjoyment stemming from sale of beer has benefits for the athlet- ic department in general: when fan en- joyment increases so do ticket sales and prices. Penn State is already implement- ing a plan designed to sell alcohol in Figure 2 special boxed sections with the goal of increasing the demand for these areas. Selling beer in general seating will have the same effect: increasing demand. Some argue that beer sales during the game will diminish the Penn State foot- ball experience. Worries about fans be- coming too intoxicated will be resolved by systems that limit to amount of beer each person can buy and also a ban on serving clearly intoxicated fans. The sale of beer will decrease pre-game binge drinking and promote responsible con- sumption of alcohol. The sale of beer is to make gameday more enjoyable for ev- eryone, even those who will not choose to buy any beer at Beaver Stadium. 3 Key Survey Data Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 4 Other programs across the country are implementing the sale of beer in football games.

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