COLLEGE PARK, Md. 鈥� Fans filed in to Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on Saturday to catch the first game of University of Maryland鈥檚 season.聽But, it was also the first game where beer would be sold to the general audience.
鈥淚 think college is place where you鈥檙e growing up, and this is just another mark of maturity and trust that Maryland has put into its students to have a good time,鈥� freshman Max Scribner says.
. If the pilot program is successful, it could expand to include alcoholic offerings, such as wine in the coming years.
On Saturday, most fans seemed聽OK聽with聽the change.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 see it as a problem,鈥� Mike Mills, of Georgetown, Delaware, told 海角社区app. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to stop selling it at the end of the third quarter, so as long as people are responsible, I don鈥檛 have a problem with it.鈥�
Many students say the change benefits parents and alumni attending the games more than it benefits the students.
鈥淧retty sure a lot of students won鈥檛 be [buying beer],鈥� freshman Austin Clever says. 鈥淚 know that people 鈥榩re-game鈥� for these and they wouldn鈥檛 buy an $8 beer, anyway, because we are all broke, but the alumni definitely will and they鈥檙e probably making a huge margin on the alcohol, so it鈥檚 a good move for them [the university].鈥�
And that鈥檚 where some fans had聽a problem.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a moneymaker,鈥� says Matt Sheriff, a聽Bowie resident.聽鈥淚 was the food service director here for 25 years. I鈥檝e always said I wish I could sell beer because I could make a lot of money.鈥�
Sheriff attended聽the game with Jack Mulhern, who lives in Frederick. They both have been attending games for decades.聽鈥淚 think it鈥檚 bad. Very, very bad.鈥�
Mulhern and Sheriffsay the effort was聽counterintuitive if it is meant to reduce binge drinking. Mulhern says聽alcohol would聽ruin the fan experience.聽鈥淸The] last game I went to [at FedEx Field], we had a bunch of young fellows behind us, they were absolutely obnoxious,鈥� Mulhern says. 鈥淭hey ruined the game for us; we quit going.鈥�
However, both say聽the Baltimore Orioles do a great job at managing alcohol sales.
At Byrd Stadium, all beers are being sold for $8聽each.聽鈥淚t鈥檚 too expensive at the stadium for me personally,鈥� say sMaryland senior Adam Daniel, who is old enough to buy a beer at the game. 鈥淚 definitely do think that $8 is too much for a beer that鈥檚 worth two-fifty.鈥�
Hoyt Hughes of Olney, who was attending the game with his family, didn’t mind the price.聽鈥淔or me as an adult, if I want to come in and have a beer or two while I鈥檓 watching the game for $16, that鈥檚 fine,鈥澛燞ughes says.
Which has Mulhern wondering about聽the students who can actually afford to buy drinks–where they get the money–since the cost of a college education has become very expensive.
