Defending Mitch Barnhart decision to ban alcohol in 2019-20
By Alex Weber
The Mitch Barnhart decision to uphold the ban on alcohol at UK games met severe criticism despite being the safest, perhaps best option
Thursday afternoon, during some sort of welcome back! press conference designated (I guess) to usher in the new Kentucky sports season, UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart revealed his (and the university’s) decision not to sell alcohol at sporting events this season–particularly, at Kentucky Football and Basketball games. Civil war ensued on social media, driven chiefly by the Kentucky media. I’m sure Barnhart knew he would catch a great deal of criticism but the riot over the continued alcohol ban came swiftly and harshly. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who agreed with Barnhart’s statements and policy regarding alcohol. However, I have no problem with Barnhart’s decision or his comments at the press conference.
Here are his comments, if you’re interested.
Look, you don’t have to agree with Barnhart’s decision to hold up the ban on alcohol. Yes, the SEC green-lit the sale of alcohol at sporting events; and yes, monetarily, selling alcohol at games would turn tremendous profits. But there are more important factors.
Before anything else, safety. This isn’t the NFL or NBA. Kentucky is a college. It’s a place that families consider a former home. These families often bring their children. A large portion of seats are filled by college students–18 to 22 year-olds who lack developed judgment despite being branded as “adults” and being trusted to drive and (in some cases) drink legally.
Kentucky is not an NBA or NFL franchise where the audience is comprised mainly of adult men and the policy on alcohol is uniform. Agreeing to sell alcohol would mean spearheading a movement within the conference. By simply choosing to allow blanket alcohol sales in our sports stadiums, the University is subduing itself to intense scrutiny from media and wary fans. One tragic accident caused by alcohol sold at sporting events could (and probably would) end or significantly delay a new alcohol-friendly policy altogether. And everyone is watching.
Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, and others are taking immediate advantage of the revamped alcohol policy. That’s completely fine. But they will also be subject to close monitorization by Kentucky and others who are on the fence about the issue. Any controversy surrounding alcohol is almost universally bad. Perhaps Mitch Barnhart would rather play it safe and delay allowing alcohol so he and the University don’t feel like they are jumping in too fast. Maybe he wants assurance via other schools going first on the alcohol front. That should not be an issue.
Plus, maintaining safety is always a capital priority at sporting events–especially in college. I hate to revisit the subject but last season included an alcohol-related tragedy following a home game. A student, who had been drinking at a fraternity event, struck and killed a child just outside Kroger Field. Guys, that sort of risk is not worth the unfiltered sale of alcohol in stadiums unless the leadership is 99% certain they are able to prevent that sort of incident. For now, that means not allowing alcohol sales.
And that horrific incident occurred in the middle of the day during one of Kentucky’s less crowded home games when, of course, the driver was not drinking at the game. With what would be essentially unlimited alcohol (if you have the money) at games, the risk of injury or death increased exponentially. It would be impossible to monitor fans’ alcohol consumption, and almost certainly there would be a handful of fans to get behind the wheel under the influence by the end of the night, and in a place where families are wandering around the parking lot and also-boozed college students are wandering back to their housing.
Keeping the football stadium (and others) dry doesn’t eliminate any of these issues, as there have been tragic accidents in the past. But upholding the alcohol ban, without question, prevents many of these situations from occurring.