Legislator seeks to reinstate alcohol at football games

After the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents passed the alcohol-free policy for athletic venues last week, a state lawmaker announced that he will introduce a bill at the start of the next legislative session to reinstate alcohol sales at TCF Bank Stadium.
Rep. Patrick Garofalo, R-Farmington , said a scholarship for disabled veterans would be created in his proposed legislation and the University would have a choice of funding it in one of two ways. The money could come from the profits of alcohol sales from all seats at the new stadium or from the administrative budget.
He supported the original legislation because he wants all fans to have equal access and thought the University should have chosen to sell alcohol.
“Especially given the budget crisis, this is a way to get people to voluntarily give the University hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Garofalo said. “Why would you be against that?”
He said he’s confident it will pass and thinks, given the two options, the University will choose to sell alcohol throughout the football stadium.
“It’s going to be the same as the last 26 years when the Gophers were playing at the Metrodome,” Garofalo said. “The only thing that’s changing is where they’re playing football.”
Although the Board of Regents did not have an official statement, Regent David Larson said he thinks the Board would only choose to reinstate alcohol sales if it applied only to premium seating sections, not to the entire stadium.
“We were not planning on making any significant amount of money on the sale of beverages,” he said. “The money was going to be made from the renting of the suites.”
General Counsel Mark Rotenberg said it is too early to know the impact of the legislation as the details of the proposed bill are unclear.
The Regents, he said, are elected and act as the governing body of the University, and therefore believe they should decide the terms of alcohol sales.
“They believe they’re in the best position to make calls on whether alcohol should be served throughout stadiums and arenas on our campus,” said Rotenberg.
He said the proposed bill does not address two key issues: The Regents would not want to sell alcohol in locations where there are people under 21, and it’s unclear whether the legislation would use the profits only from sales of alcohol, or also the income from selling premium seats.
“The University is not concerned with the loss in revenue with not being able to sell alcohol,” Rotenberg said. “It’s the possible loss in support from those who have premium seat locations and who give the University substantial funding year after year.”
As for the option of taking funds from the administrative budget, Rotenberg said there has been a clear focus by the Board to increase scholarship funds as part of the fundraising activities related to the stadium.
Not all premium seat ticket holders mind the change. Gary Beckmann has a ticket to a four-person suite on the lower level and has had premium seats at both Williams and Mariucci Arenas.
“I understand some fans may not like it, and they do want to have some alcohol, [but] I felt the U made the appropriate choice and I wish that all fans would be supportive,” he said.
Garofalo said legal-aged fans have the right to buy alcohol if they choose.
“They trusted the taxpayers of the state to pay for the stadium,” he said. “They can trust the taxpayers to have a beer at a football game.”
Williams and Mariucci Arenas would not apply to the bill. He said the profits wouldn’t go to the athletics department as in previous years because making college more affordable for disabled veterans is a higher priority.
Garofalo said if the University changes the “dry” policy within the academic year and begins selling alcohol throughout the stadium, he would reconsider introducing the bill.