Skip to Content
Everything Else

OU to allow expensive beer sales at football games!

11:32 AM EDT on May 13, 2019

In case you missed it, some massive University of Oklahoma-related news dropped over the weekend – they're going to sell expensive, overpriced beer to the common folk at OU football games!!!

Yes, that's true. After years of restricting alcohol sales to wealthy donors, corporate minions and noble families of the Oklahoma Ruling Class, the OU Board of Regents approved a plan on Friday to serve beer and wine to all legal-aged fans:

Via the Norman Transcript:

The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents approved a recommendation allowing the continued sale and advertisement of alcoholic beverages at athletic events and facilities Friday morning.

The approval of the item — proposed by OU President James Gallogly — notably will allow fans to purchase beer at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium during home football games.

Before we continue, can we raise our glasses to soon-to-be former OU President James Gallogly? He had a brief, controversial and disastrous 10-month tenure as president, but at least he'll be able to say he tried to make OU Football Home Games Fun Again.

Seriously, for people like me who need to drink to have a good time, this is great news! Not only will OU fans be able to sustain their buzz from the tailgate all the way through the third quarter, but the line to the bathroom stall fans use to fill their soda with  the vodka, rum or whiskey they snuck into the stadium will go down considerably.

Here's more:

Castiglione maintains the idea behind selling alcoholic beverages is one to increase the fan experience at OU athletics events.

The university did not feel pressured to add the sale of alcoholic beverages. More so, it wanted to keep up with the trends of fan's interests.

"For those that have a cynical response that we're doing it because of something else that's contrary to our statement, I just tell them they're wrong," Castiglione said. "It is what it is. It's not something that I think is going to be the greatest part of the experience at our venue. It's just part of the experience."

I'm the Barry Switzer of cynical responses, so I both agree and disagree with Castiglione.

Alcohol sales will greatly improve the fan experience. I've probably been to about 40 or so OU home games this century. That means I've spent about 40 Saturdays chugging tall boys and Jello shots on Campus Corner to get a buzz that I'll lose at halftime when Buzz Killington and the Pride of Oklahoma marching band takes the field. That gets old. I'd like to have a beer or two to keep things going at least through halftime.

So on that note, I applaud this move. Letting fans sustain (or even obtain) an expensive buzz will lead to a better fan experience, and a more lively crowd in the fourth quarter.

That being said, this is obviously a money grab. If it wasn't, OU would just open the stadium at halftime like they did pre-9/11 and let fans run a five-minute mile to the old O'Connell's parking lot to chug a couple of beers. Not only did this help OU fans enjoy the second half of the game, but it was also great exercise.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter