Alcohol sales debut at first South Carolina athletics event. It’s ‘a very big deal’
An hour and 20 minutes before the fourth-ranked South Carolina women’s basketball team tipped off with No. 13 Kentucky on Thursday, a woman in a garnet hoodie shouted to a group of Colonial Life Arena staffers outside Section 111, “Big night, huh?”
The trio of female staffers, spread under a sign that read “Local Craft Beer,” shot back with grins and nods. What they were offering — from Bud Light to Woodbridge Pinot Grigio — was new at a USC athletic event.
South Carolina had officially arrived to the alcohol scene. Drinks were finally poured at a game, not a concert. The stage was Dawn Staley’s, not Darius Rucker’s.
“This has been a long time waiting, man,” said Moses Hugee, a women’s season ticket holder who grabbed a Bud Light outside Section 111. “Everybody does it already. I was wondering when it was going to happen. I didn’t think it was ever going to happen.
“I’m glad they did it.”
USC is the ninth SEC school to allow alcohol sales to the general public. The conference in May reversed its long-standing policy prohibiting alcohol sales in general seating areas at sporting events, leaving the decision up to individual universities.
By mid-August, Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt announced they’d be selling it in their football stadiums. South Carolina, which waited to review the potential impact of the change, is now officially in that group after its board of trustees approved things Dec. 17. Alcohol will be available for men’s basketball home games starting with Florida on Tuesday and for the upcoming baseball and football seasons.
Thursday’s menu, found at the 12 locations that served on Colonial Life Arena’s concourse, looked something like this:
Domestic beer — $8
Premium beer (Heineken) — $9
Craft beer — $10
Wine — $9
Hard seltzers (Truly, White Claw) and hard ciders (Bold Rock) were also $9.
“This is a very big deal,” said Andre Sumter, a friend of Hugee’s who also sipped a Bud Light. “People want to watch the game, drink a little beer and relax.”
USC Athletics Director Ray Tanner said last month that he hoped the new policy would generate seven figures of revenue annually, but wasn’t certain as weather, start times and in-game results can impact the bottom line.
Everything tipped off with a 7 p.m. Thursday game between a couple of top 15 teams. Sean Martin, CEO of Soca Caribbean Kitchen, was stationed well before it began at his post under the “Carolina Grill” concession stand. Martin said he expects the alcohol attraction to benefit his business, which offers healthier fare.
“It’s definitely going to put a spotlight on what we do,” he said. “Typically, they’ll just gravitate towards the fries, the chips and the burgers. But with our brand, now that we sell alcohol, I think it’s going to help us.”
Like anything, there were rules.
▪ Patrons purchasing beer or wine were asked to show identification and were limited to two beverages at a time.
▪ Students couldn’t use their Carolina Cards to purchase alcohol.
▪ Per SEC regulation, beer and wine sales ended at the end of the third quarter. That’ll translate to the 12-minute mark of the second half for men’s games.
▪ The primary Aramark concession stands did not offer beer or wine. This was done in an effort to keep lines moving efficiently.
▪ Everything was served in cups, not cans.
“It doesn’t matter to us as long as no one gets hurt, in an accident or whatever,” Staley said last month. “So we drink responsibly, and I think our fans will do that, and we should be OK.”
The first night provided a smooth start.
“I hope it doesn’t start something crazy,” Hugee said, “because it could easily if someone over-indulges. But I think it this will be fine. Everyone will be in control of themselves.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 7:58 PM.
