Although expectations were high for alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium this football season, the reality has not matched up to projections. Data from Husker Athletics reveals that total alcohol sales reached $2.07 million over the first four home games of Nebraska football.
Last fall, when alcohol sales were approved across all university system athletic venues, athletic director Troy Dannen had anticipated that revenue from these sales could climb as high as $3-4 million per game at Memorial Stadium. However, actual sales have fallen short, averaging about $500,000 per game.
Despite the underwhelming alcohol sales, overall concession revenue, which includes beer and seltzer, has seen a significant rise, exceeding $2 million more than the same period last season. Concession sales rose from $3.5 million last year to $5.8 million this year.
The decision to allow alcohol sales was partly driven by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents’ belief that it would reduce binge drinking on game days. In line with these expectations, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Police Department has noted a decrease in alcohol-related calls. During the first four home games last year, there were an average of 13 such calls, which have now reduced to fewer than 12 in the current season.
Nonetheless, there has been an uptick in the number of citations for alcohol violations in and around the stadium, increasing from an average of just over one to four per game. The UNLPD has attributed this partly to a 25% increase in police presence on game days.
Incidents of ejections and denied entries have also risen this season, averaging more than 12 during the first four games last year to 13.5 this season. According to UNLPD, fans can be denied entry or ejected for reasons beyond alcohol-related issues.
