USC adopts clear bag policy for most athletic events

Leave the backpacks, diaper bags, purses and fanny packs at home.

The University of South Carolina is implementing a clear bag policy for all ticketed sporting events beginning with the 2016-17 athletic calendar, the school announced Tuesday.

It’s a “move designed to provide a safer environment and more expedited entry for fans,” according to USC. It is similar to the policy adopted in 2013 by the NFL and used at other college stadiums.

Fans attending such ticketed USC sports as baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, football, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and volleyball will be limited in the size and type of bags they can bring into each venue. Non-ticketed sports include golf, swimming and diving, track and field, equestrian, tennis and beach volleyball.

Fans will continue to be able to carry items such as binoculars, cameras and smart phones. And you can keep your keys, wallet and feminine products in your pocket.

“In meetings with security personnel around the Midlands and with schools around the SEC, it has become evident that there is a new level of security measures that need to be implemented in our athletic venues,” South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner said in a statement. “We feel that this new clear bag policy will assist our security personnel in making entrance into our venues a more efficient process while making game day safer for everyone.”

USC’s Athletics Department encourages fans to not bring any type of bag to games. A complete list of prohibited items is available here.

Worried about the prospect of bringing a young child to a game without a diaper bag?

“Diapers and other baby supplies can be carried in a clear bag,” USC said in its frequently asked questions about the policy. “Each member of a family, including children, is allowed to carry an approved clear bag and a clutch purse into the stadium.”

Medically necessary items or equipment that won’t fit into a clear bag will be inspected and tagged by security at specified locations at each venue, according to the school.

The USC first game affected by the new policy is the men’s soccer contest Aug. 18 against Winthrop at Stone Stadium.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 3:20 PM with the headline "USC adopts clear bag policy for most athletic events."