Rutgers to sell alcohol at football, basketball games

Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs, in an interview with The Daily Targum, said he expects Rutgers to take in more than $1 million with a new expansion of alcohol sales for general seating at most sporting events. 

“Purdue … it has about the same size football stadium that we do,” Hobbs said. “This year had a total benefit of excess of $1 million.” But the amount will depend on the size of attendance, the price and how many event locations they ultimately offer it at. 

Purdue was also able to redeploy resources in a more effective way, because they previously had to deal with more incidents at the tailgate lots with intoxication. 

The University spent two years studying the experiences of national programs that sold alcohol to general seating, he said. Schools like West Virginia University, Ohio State University and the University of Maryland all saw improved safety with regulated control of beer and wine sales. Schools also saw a decrease in the amount of binge drinking during pre- and post-games. 

To regulate the sale and distribution of alcohol, there will be a limit of two drinks per transaction and the University reserves the right not to serve any individual, Hobbs said. 

Rutgers will also be adding "drink responsible" campaigns around the expansion, Hobbs said. It will provide designated driver opportunities such as food vouchers and a partnership with Lyft. 

“We want this to be a safer environment, and we expect this to be a safer environment,” he said. “But we also expect this to be a better environment for the fan experience.”