Should Beer be Sold at the Ryan Center?

RhodeIslandBred · Unread post by **RhodeIslandBred** » 11 years ago

Sorry I'm with Blue Man. I don't know where everyone gets the idea that if people have a few drinks during the game that the Ryan Center will immediately turn into a place for people to get hammered. First of all the price of a beer at a game would be ridicoulous so having more than one would be out of the question for most. But let's put that out of the picture for a moment. There's a two hour window that a game takes place in. Best case scenario a person gets in 3 beers maybe 4 twelve ounce cups. Being a bartender I can say that this is what the average alcohol consumption is. If you see anyone being beligerent you stop serving them- pretty basic. This is what a bartender is supposed to do. However I think you have a worse problem if you don't serve anything at the game because you have students/people drinking heavily and driving before the game because they know that nothing will be served.

Option A Serving Beer at the Ryan Center
-Say you average one beer per fan in attendence with some drinking more and some drinking less (Avg profit of $5/beer and average fan attendence of 3000.) $15000/game just in beer sales not to metion more food you will sell for people thinking that the Ryan Center food is good just because they're buzzed.
-More fans in attendence.
-More lively crowd.

-Downfall would be just make sure your security staff that just stands in each section now makes sure that beers are not being shared between underage kids. Of course this will still happen sometimes as it does everywhere. And have a few more security/police in the parking lot to make sure kids/people aren't driving drunk.

Option B
-Less drunks (not sure about this- college kids don't get drunk off $7 beers)
-No extra revenue
-Could miss out on some customers who enjoy a few brewskis
-Quieter crowd (have been to stadiums where beer is sold/ they have louder crowds in general regardless of the quality of the game and if their team is winning-- I do know this helps)

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

One beer per person average?
Does anyone go to the games and see how many people have their kids with them?
So, you think these kids are going to not count in your projections?
Attendence will go up when this program starts winning, and it doesn't
need to be alcohol fueled, either.

"Being fat, drunk and stupid, is no way to go through life"-Dean Wormer

RhodeIslandBred · Unread post by **RhodeIslandBred** » 11 years ago

Rod obviously you don't count little kids in your projection and that is why I said one per person average-- unless there is a new practice of giving alcohol to little kids that I'm not aware of. I'm not saying this will have a direct effect on attendence- but if we can get more money into the program wouldn't you want that?? I understand that some people would only continue to buy from gift shop/regular concessions but what is wrong with offering beer, it'll only increase revenue from people that wouldn't normally spend except their ticket. Listen I'm neither a drunk nor a rowdy person but I know my friends/ recent alumni (all 25/26 yrs old) are always disappointed that their are no offerings in the Ryan Center. We're also disappointed at the atmosphere- we shouldn't have to be a 20 win team to get any sort of reaction out of the crowd. If it can bring even a dollar more into the program and help to keep staff/ facilities up-to-date then I'm all for it. Plus its something that people are going to do anyway, we always hit up the mew's after the game and spend the money there- whats the diff?

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 11 years ago

Such an easy solution. Make certain sections "family sections". No alcohol is allowed to be consumed in those areas. That way, people who fear being annoyed by drunkards will have little to worry about. It works at Gillette Stadium, why not the Ryan Center?

And for those who say anyone enjoying an adult beverage during a 2 hour sporting event is an alcoholic is disingenuous. Beer and sports do go hand and hand. Why are there so many sports bars and have you seen one segment of commercials during the NCAA tournament without at least one beer ad.

Selling alcohol at the Ryan Center is not going to attract every barfly in the South County area to a game. But, it may sway those who rather go to Mews to watch the game.

rhodyfan3 · Unread post by **rhodyfan3** » 11 years ago

Sweep The Leg wrote:Such an easy solution. Make certain sections "family sections". No alcohol is allowed to be consumed in those areas. That way, people who fear being annoyed by drunkards will have little to worry about. It works at Gillette Stadium, why not the Ryan Center?

And for those who say anyone enjoying an adult beverage during a 2 hour sporting event is an alcoholic is disingenuous. Beer and sports do go hand and hand. Why are there so many sports bars and have you seen one segment of commercials during the NCAA tournament without at least one beer ad.

Selling alcohol at the Ryan Center is not going to attract every barfly in the South County area to a game. But, it may sway those who rather go to Mews to watch the game.

I agree with this. I don't know why people are so against it. Wanting to enjoy a beer while watching a sporting event does not mean you suffer from alcoholism. It is perfectly fine to want to have a drink and watch sporting events, just like many fans do across the country.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

URI, if they ever allow it, will certainly do their homework. Schools like SLU, Dayton and Xavierwho sell beer do not allow it in the student sections.

Interestingly, the Ryan Center seems to have outdated information regarding their alcohol policy listed on their website.

OBRAM · Unread post by **OBRAM** » 11 years ago

If you serve beer, you would need to take the carpet out of the concourses, as spilled beer would smell it up fast. It would start to smell like the Dunk.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

So I emailed Daryl Jasper to note the outdated Ryan Center policy online and, unsurprisingly, he replied very quickly with a personalized, professional and thorough response.

To summarize, he said that the serving of alcohol in specific areas of the Ryan Center during various events "has gone well". He continued to say how the Ryan Center (Global Spectrum) is working with the University on various ways to expand the service of alcohol at a variety of events in the future. Of course, very careful consideration is made on decisions such as these, so they continue to keep an open mind to any changes that could enhance the fan experience at the Ryan Center.

He's such a pro and class act. We're very lucky to have him.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 11 years ago

Nacho cheese, coffee, milk would do the same thing to a carpet. Not sure why they used carpet in such a high volume area.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 11 years ago

ATPTourFan wrote:So I emailed Daryl Jasper to note the outdated Ryan Center policy online and, unsurprisingly, he replied very quickly with a personalized, professional and thorough response.

To summarize, he said that the serving of alcohol in specific areas of the Ryan Center during various events "has gone well". He continued to say how the Ryan Center (Global Spectrum) is working with the University on various ways to expand the service of alcohol at a variety of events in the future. Of course, very careful consideration is made on decisions such as these, so they continue to keep an open mind to any changes that could enhance the fan experience at the Ryan Center.

He's such a pro and class act. We're very lucky to have him.

I'm ecstatic that this administration looks at all aspects of the program logically and logistically.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Because carpeting serves two purposes.
It looks a hell of a lot better than painted cement,
and it keeps noise down.
I wonder why they don't carpet the stairways, which look lousy with raw cement.
As for spilling things, carpets can be cleaned professionally.

ramster · Unread post by **ramster** » 11 years ago

13 of 125 Division 1 FBS Football Stadiums sell Beer.
Note how University of Minnesota lost money on the sale of Beer
This article just out on March 23

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleg ... -t-tap.ece

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Because carpeting serves two purposes.
It looks a hell of a lot better than painted cement,
and it keeps noise down.
I wonder why they don't carpet the stairways, which look lousy with raw cement.
As for spilling things, carpets can be cleaned professionally.

I thought our problem was not enough noise at the Ryan Center... There are other alternatives to painted cement.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 11 years ago

ramster wrote:13 of 125 Division 1 FBS Football Stadiums sell Beer.
Note how University of Minnesota lost money on the sale of Beer
This article just out on March 23

http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/colleg ... -t-tap.ece

Minnesota lost money because it mismanaged the entire process. Vendors would be in a bidding war to monopolize that market. Some states do have state mandated minimums, but there is no way a school should lose money in this type of endeavor. And start-up costs? Normally, the vendor will supply all the machinery and kiosks.

And football stadiums are a different animal altogether. There is no tailgating happening before a Ryan Center basketball game except for someone's dorm room.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Why do you want noise in a common area, wherer people talk between halfs
and before games?

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

Have you been to a PC game over the past 10-15 years?

The Dunk sells alcohol, you all know that.

I would also say the amount of verbal spats and fights I have seen probably could be counted on one hand, and usually those would be between drunk opposing fans, nothing that usually escalates to anything more than hurling a few curse words back and forth. What, is alcohol now going to make a bunch of people rooting for the same team hate eachother?

Part of that is the price of a beer. At a price of between $7-$9, people aren't buying any more than a handful of beers. Maybe just 1, maybe 2. No one is going to get hammered. They might get hammered before via the "pregame," but not at the game.

And the profit. If they sell beer at a modest $7 as referenced, what was the number, $15,000 in extra profit on a modest estimate. Multiply that by 15 games of whatever the number ends up being. It's at least $150,000 in extra revenue, and given what a keg of beer and a tap and the whole system costs, it's an extra $100,000+ in profit.

I personally have had one beer at a PC game since I became legal three years ago, but you can see why a bunch of guys who are casual fans and want a casual night out might enjoy a few beers while catching a game. The diehards will show up no matter what, but it's that other segment of casual fans/students that you might begin to appeal to. Not every person who enjoys a beer is an alcoholic. There are plenty of people out there who enjoy a casual beer or two with a meal. It's what they enjoy.

Sweep The Leg · Unread post by **Sweep The Leg** » 11 years ago

rodfromcranston wrote:Why do you want noise in a common area, wherer people talk between halfs
and before games?

You can place padding above the cement for noise reduction and industrial flooring over that. And do you really think footsteps of people will drown out people's conversations? Especially when we average 4,000 in attendance. It's not aluminum flooring miked up.

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Anyone who knows about how public places kill noise
will tell you, fabric is the best material for muting sound.
Hard material magnifies sound.

theblueram · Unread post by **theblueram** » 11 years ago

If they ever do serve beer they should have a craft brewery create some unique beer for the RC.
Like Ram IPA
Or Rhody Lager
Or maybe a blueberry flavored one.....
Could call that one The Blue Ram

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 11 years ago

Just gonna stick my head in here as a current student and say that students drink before games. Very rarely to an obnoxious level but selling beer or not, students can still drink. That being said every other professional sport has kids young and old, and people drink all the time. I really can't see the selling of beer as a problem. I have considered people being drunk and stupid which I hope would never happen. "IF" an incident were to happen there is security at the ryan center. I would propose an experiment for maybe a 3 game spread to see how sales of beer are along with peoples attitude towards it.

URI96 · Unread post by **URI96** » 11 years ago

We need a third option.

C) As is policy. Only for the 1K and up donors

RhodeIslandBred · Unread post by **RhodeIslandBred** » 11 years ago

URI96 wrote:We need a third option.

C) As is policy. Only for the 1K and up donors

Think "small" we DO.

Rhody Guy · Unread post by **Rhody Guy** » 11 years ago

I just thing we have a bunch of prudes on this board.

Iggy1979 · Unread post by **Iggy1979** » 11 years ago

At the Dunk this year for the PC-URI game. Hurley, Cooley and state policeman do a PSA on the video board about drinking and driving. A few rows in front of me, three young guys are being served shots by a waitress. They get drunk. Get in an argument with someone near them, are escorted out by the cops. I'm sure one of them was driving.

RAM67 · Unread post by **RAM67** » 11 years ago

Rhody Guy wrote:I just thing we have a bunch of prudes on this board.

With the vote 40-7 in favor, I would think just the opposite.

Rhody Guy · Unread post by **Rhody Guy** » 11 years ago

Let me rephrase. We have some very vocal prudes on this board. The silent majority are for beer.

Rhodymob05 · Unread post by **Rhodymob05** » 11 years ago

Iggy1979 wrote:At the Dunk this year for the PC-URI game. Hurley, Cooley and state policeman do a PSA on the video board about drinking and driving. A few rows in front of me, three young guys are being served shots by a waitress. They get drunk. Get in an argument with someone near them, are escorted out by the cops. I'm sure one of them was driving.

shots??? I'm talking just beer here not a full bar

rodfromcranston · Unread post by **rodfromcranston** » 11 years ago

Too damned bad. Hell yeah I'm vocal.
I've seen too many lives ruined by drunks.

Ramblinrose · Unread post by **Ramblinrose** » 11 years ago

I'm not overly worked up about this issue. But I think it can create potential problems that can easily be avoided.
Again, if your program needs beer to draw fans, then you have a couple of problems.

Unread post by **ATPTourFan** » 11 years ago

I don't see them going this route given that they may start drawing 6000+ per game without it.

URI96 · Unread post by **URI96** » 11 years ago

RhodeIslandBred wrote:
URI96 wrote:We need a third option.

C) As is policy. Only for the 1K and up donors
Think "small" we DO.

Why is this thinking small? The majority of schools don't serve beer. If you wan a beer pony up a grand.

BFC · Unread post by **BFC** » 11 years ago

All of those alcoholic biker gangs riding around South County looking for anywhere they can find to buy a $6 beer will take over the Ryan Center.

Noone is going to come just because the Ryan Center has beer, they might come because the Ryan Center offers a full sporting event experience. Sorry to the 15% who feel everyone who buys a beer needs an intervention but beer sales has always been part of the sporting event experience.

iBall · Unread post by **iBall** » 11 years ago

reef · Unread post by **reef** » 11 years ago

Love that photo from the 1800's !!!

Rhody Guy · Unread post by **Rhody Guy** » 11 years ago

I don't think selling beer will bring in droves of more fans, but I do think it will increase cash flow.

Keaney.Blue · Unread post by **Keaney.Blue** » 11 years ago

A lot of RI homers on this board today huh?

Guys, leave RI and go to a pro game in Boston or NY. They sell beer there. It's fine.

Rhody74 · Unread post by **Rhody74** » 11 years ago

If they sold beer at Ryan, I'd probably have 1 or 2, so I voted yes. But I really don't think it's a big deal that they don't. Beer at games is usually overpriced and of lousy quality anyway.

seanmc94 · Unread post by **seanmc94** » 11 years ago

The DDC has upgraded the quality of beers; they are grossly overpriced, but a long trail or a Harpoon for $9 is better than a Bud for $7.

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

Fenway just went down to $5 a beer for April.

Smokinjimit · Unread post by **Smokinjimit** » 11 years ago

I have no problem with beer being sold. $8 a beer at the civic center means not too many are getting drunk there. Cosrag is strangely silent on this issue.
They use rugs in the hallways because it holds down the noise, looks better, and when something gets spilled on it people won't slip.
Rod what do you think Fox News would say if Bloomberg banned beer at MSG?

ramfan85 · Unread post by **ramfan85** » 11 years ago

iBall wrote:

That picture would make any man want to start drinking

rjsuperfly66 · Unread post by **rjsuperfly66** » 11 years ago

Why shouldn't you try to maximize your revenue potential? That's the real question. Why not try to get that extra $15-$20,000 per game in profit? Heck why not sample it for an early season game to see the pros/cons?

Heck, just ask here. How much would your spending pattern at games change if beer was allowed? If a beer cost $7, would you buy one? Would you buy two? Would you buy any? Would your season ticket holder wife/friends, etc., would they buy one or two? How much money would you spend?

Blue Man · Unread post by **Blue Man** » 11 years ago

Keaney.Blue wrote:A lot of RI homers on this board today huh?

Guys, leave RI and go to a pro game in Boston or NY. They sell beer there. It's fine.

wait..what's a "Boston" or "NY?" Things exist outside of this state? I don't believe you.

Rhody72 · Unread post by **Rhody72** » 11 years ago

I'm buying headphones to reduce the loud noise at the RC next season so I can better enjoy the games.

Should beer be sold at the RC at Basketball Games?