Texas A&M Becomes First SEC Football Team to Allow Stadium-wide Beer and Wine Sales

Mike Pomranz
Two weeks after the SEC lifted its alcohol ban, Texas A&M took the conference up on the offer.

It goes without saying: If you give people the right to do something, they’re going to do it. So on May 31, when the Southeastern Conference announced that it was lifting its ban on selling alcohol to the general public at athletic events — making it the last major conference to do so — the question quickly became which of the powerhouse conference’s 14 football teams would be the first to commit to selling beer and wine at home games. The answer arrived yesterday: the Texas A&M Aggies.

The former home of Johnny Manziel plans to up the party atmosphere at Kyle Field by selling alcohol to fans in general seating areas, breaking new ground in the SEC conference, which the team joined in 2012. “This is another way we are enhancing the amenities at Kyle Field,” Texas A&M’s interim athletic director R.C. Slocum said, according to CBS Sports. “We are extending the availability of alcohol beyond the premium areas which have had this option for many years. Fans, 21 and older, will have the option to purchase alcohol, regardless of seating area.”

But as the official SEC website explained in announcing the change, don’t expect to see frat boys doing keg stands in the student section. The new policy, which takes effect on August 1, features eight bullet points that every school must follow. The rules include things like no sales by vendors within the seating areas themselves, ID checks at every point of sale, limits on the number and types of drinks (namely, only beer and wine is permitted), all alcohol must be served in cups, and all sales must conclude at the end of the third quarter.

Though Texas A&M is the first SEC team to choose to sell alcohol stadium-wide, they are not the first SEC school to make a decision on the matter. Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia have all reportedly committed to not selling alcohol at sporting events during the upcoming school year. Still, it’s probably safe to assume that Texas A&M won’t be the only SEC team to adjust its booze selling strategy. Beyond “enhancing the amenities,” alcohol sales are also a nice revenue stream that can certainly be hard to ignore.