Beaver Stadium beer sales to begin at Penn State on Saturday
Beer is coming to Beaver Stadium. Announced Wednesday morning, Penn State’s home game on Saturday against Northwestern will be the first in which recently-approved beer sales will be widely available.
The move comes in the wake of a months-long process spearheaded by new Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft. First proposing the plan to a limited committee of the university’s board of trustees, the initiative was approved by the full board last Friday, Sept. 23.
According to the press release, the system at Beaver Stadium for selling beer will involve all patrons of drinking age to show government identification to get a wristband. The wristband can then be used to purchase alcohol through the areas of the stadium in which it is sold. That will not include areas near the student section in the southeast corner of Beaver Stadium.
Asked Tuesday to provide his thoughts on beer being sold at Beaver Stadium, Penn State head coach James Franklin said he trusted the decision-making of the university’s leadership, but otherwise preferred to keep his opinion private.
“As you guys know, I’d prefer to spend my time talking about Northwestern and trusting the decisions that are made, whether it’s our athletic director Pat Kraft or our president Dr. Bendapudi,” Franklin said. “But that’s kind of above my process and decision making and things that I spend my time on every single day. I’d prefer to just leave it at that if that’s okay, all due respect.”
Regulations for purchasing beer inside Beaver Stadium will include a maximum purchase of two 16 ounce cans of beer by any one patron at a time. Beer will then stop being sold at the end of the third quarter, and will not be permitted outside the stadium.
According to a June 6 report from The Athletic, Iowa’s introduction of beer sales at its athletic events generated more than $3.2 million in its first year.
