Alcohol Banned at Univ. of Kentucky Tailgate Parties
By Andrew Lu on October 3, 2012
Last weekend, the University of Kentucky school president banned alcohol at certain tailgating spots ahead of the school’s big game against SEC rival South Carolina, reports The Associated Press.
With no real news of fights or especially unruly alcohol-related behavior before or after the game, the ban seemed to have worked.
Too bad the success could not be carried onto the field as the Wildcats blew a second half lead and lost to the heavily favored Gamecocks. Maybe a more raucous home crowd could have helped the team. It’s still yet to be determined if the alcohol ban at tailgates will be in effect for all future Kentucky games.
Tailgating has become almost as ingrained into football culture as the games themselves. Highlights of any pro or college game regularly feature fans grabbing a beer or roasting some type of sausage in the back of a pickup truck.
At Kentucky, students had taken to setting up tents that distributed “large quantities of alcohol” along a large grassy area by the parking lots, reports the AP. With DJs and live music, students reportedly were partying longer and drinking more.
With student fans (often underage) not knowing their own limits, tailgating has led to violence and other trouble. Leading up to the alcohol ban, there was an outbreak of fighting in the now-banned areas following Kentucky’s loss to Western Kentucky. And after the university’s basketball championship, celebration resulted in many small fires and gunfire.
As part of the ban, alcohol will only be prohibited in the non-reserved tailgate area of the parking lot, reports the AP. People caught serving or drinking alcohol there will be cited by police. To rain on the parade even more, the school president also banned the DJs and bands from performing. These musicians face school disciplinary action as opposed to any legal trouble.
http://blogs.findlaw.com/tarnished_twenty/2012/10/alcohol-banned-at-univ-of-kentucky-tailgate-parties.html?DCMP=NWL-cons_sportslaw