University of North Texas To Sell Beer Next Season

The University of North Texas will begin selling beer in the Apogee Stadium during all of its football games starting this fall. Fans and patrons must visit the Concourse level to pick up the brew.

News of the University of North Texas’ decision to sell beer at its football games comes in the wake of a growing trend in which several other college football organizations making similar decisions. UT Arlington, UT-El Paso, UT-San Antonio and Houston, Texas Tech, and Texas are a few of the many Texas universities which now sell beer.

There’s been a growing debate over whether or not alcoholic beverages should be sold at college sporting events. Proponent claim it’s a safe practice that helps schools earn revenue — revenue that can be used to make improvements, purchase new equipment, hire more teachers, etc. On the other end of the debate, critics view beer sales as sending the wrong message to young adults.

Whether you agree with it or not, University of North Texas President Neal Smartrek, noted that beer sales helps to regulate alcohol consumption and encourages fans to watch the game in the stadium rather than on television. According to Smatresk, there’s “no negative” impact on the experience of fans attributed to beer sales.

“We carefully studied all issues related to making beer available in Apogee Stadium, and from every angle, it makes sense,” said UNT President Neal Smatresk. “At UNLV, my experience was that selling beer helped to more carefully regulate alcohol consumption and encouraged more fans to watch the game in the stadium. It also cumulatively improved revenues and had no negative impact on the overall experience of all fans.”

Metzler’s Catering will reportedly be handling the University of North Texas’ beer sales. Metzler’s Catering already sales beer at the club level, so this should be a smooth transition.

So if you’re a UNT fan who plans on attending one or more of the university’s football games this season, keep your eyes peeled at the stadium for beer. We still don’t know what type of beer the university plans on selling, or how much it will cost, but there’s nothing quite as refreshing as a cold glass of beer on a hot fall day.

Do you think college football stadiums should be allowed to sell beer? Let us know your opinion in the comments section below!