Could alcohol sales be coming to Clemson sporting events?

Selling alcohol at college sporting events is becoming a growing trend. Some of the top programs in the country sell beer at football games, including Ohio State, Miami and Texas.

Could Clemson be next?

Tigers Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich told The State recently that the university has had discussions about selling alcohol at sporting events but nothing is imminent.

“We’ve talked about it a little bit because it’s been such a topical piece,” Radakovich said. “It’s not something that’s on the front burner by any stretch of the imagination.”

Radakovich went on to say that if Clemson does begin selling alcohol at sporting events it would likely experiment at other athletic venues before trying anything with football.

Memorial Stadium is viewed as being family friendly, and Radakovich would like to keep it that way.

“I think that Clemson has an incredibly unique game day environment, and it’s one that is so family friendly that people come to,” Radakovich said. “There’s probably on any given day, depending on the game, 20,000 to 40,000 people outside the stadium, in addition to the 80,000 that are inside the stadium.”

The sale of alcohol at sporting events could be beneficial financially to Clemson.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio State netted more than $1.35 million in beer sales in 2017. Texas generated $3.1 million in revenue from beer, wine and liquor sold at football games in 2016, according to hook’em.com. That money would certainly help pay for rising salaries for coaches.

Radakovich and the rest of the decision makers at Clemson will have to decide if the positives outweigh the negatives.

“We want to make sure that we continue to give our fans the game day experience, from the time they leave their home to the time that they come back, that it’s incredibly positive and they want to continue to be a part of it,” Radakovich said.

This story was originally published January 24, 2018 at 2:43 PM with the headline "Could alcohol sales be coming to Clemson sporting events?."