It turns out that rumors for beer being introduced at Michigan Stadium are as empty as fans' cups. Officials have stated that the stadium will remain bone dry and will not serve any alcohol, according to Michigan Live.
The rumors surfaced after alcohol was sold at Michigan Stadium at the NHL's Winter Classic game on Jan. 1 between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs, according to USA Today. Yet this was a special arrangement, and the move actually required approval from the state legislature.
Michigan Stadium is actually the largest football venue in the country. Yet while other big-name college stadiums have started to seriously consider selling beer during games, the Michigan Stadium will not. According to Michigan Live, this is mostly due to the concern of so many underage drinkers attending games, and the difficulty of policing alcohol.
"You've got to set up places to vendor this stuff and you've got to make sure you're selling it to the right people, not the wrong people, and then you've got to deal with all the ramifications of alcohol being served in an area where you've got a lot of young people and a lot of underage people," said Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon in an interview with Michigan Live. "Sometimes people lose track of the fact that we have to organize and managed 110,000 to 115,000 people all in one tight space, and get them in there and out of there safely. I don't think serving alcohol is going to make that job any easier."
This latest beer announcement comes only just after a beer scandal that occurred in CenturyLink Arena, home of the Idaho Steelheads hockey team. Fans revealed that a "large" beer cup held the exact same amount as a "small" beer cup, despite costing $3 more.
