SEC Lifts Ban on Stadium Alcohol Sales

With the SEC spring meetings concluding in Destin, Fla., the big news making the rounds is that the conference is finally ready to permit alcohol sales during some league-sanctioned sporting events.

For the first time in SEC history, schools will get to make the decision wether or not to sell alcoholic beverages to age-appropriate fans.

The most important thing to note here is schools may still not find it in their best interest to sell potent potables at live events. For now, LSU, Georgia, and Tennessee are among the institutions that are expected to start selling beer and wine on-site during game days.

Though the ban has been lifted, there are still some exceptions that come with the new rules.

For now, at least, beer and wine are the only two types of beverages that maybe served around general seating areas. The drinks must be dispensed into cups, and there will be a limit established on how many drinks a fan can buy at one time.

There are also designated stop times in place for stadiums to cut off fans from buying such beverages. In football, sales must cease by the end of the third quarter, while in baseball, the top half of the seventh inning will be the last call.

The permission of alcohol sales at SEC venues great and small, while presenting some obviois risks, provides an attractive new revenue stream to member institutions. The sincere hope is that fans don't go overboard and abuse the privilege.