By moving the baseball team from Sancet Stadium to Hi Corbett Field the UA might have struck amber gold.
Hi Corbett is located off campus by Randolph Municipal Golf Course. It’s the former spring training home to Major League Baseball teams such as the Cleveland Indians and, most recently, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies.
Hi Corbett provides much nicer facilities than Sancet Stadium, but, most importantly, fans can enjoy a brew with the ball game. Without a permit, the university does not allow alcohol to be purchased or consumed on school property, also known as a dry — or no fun — campus. Until now, no one 21 or older could purchase beer at most UA sporting events because they were located on campus.
Considering that the beautiful sport of baseball is built on hot dogs and alcohol, it’s fitting that it would be the the first sport to tap into the beer market. Now Arizona baseball will join the ranks of professional teams by selling overpriced, watered-down beer to its fans.
The baseball team already enters the season with plenty to be excited about. The Wildcats are coming off an impressive season and Baseball America ranks the team fifth in the country in the preseason polls. But now we can expect even more excitement from the fans, as a majority of them will be throwing back a cold one or two. And, of course, the umpires should also be excited about the new, rowdier baseball fans.
Along with embracing the culture of baseball, Arizona Athletics and the city of Tucson can expect a little more money in their pockets with the revamped concession. According to The Arizona Republic, West Virginia University began selling beer at its games last football season. It would stop selling during the third quarter and fans were no longer allowed to leave and return to the game (which is something the UA doesn’t allow anyway). At the end of the season, alcohol-related incidents were down 25 percent and the West Virginia athletic department received close to $750,000 from its cut of sales and beer sponsorships. Because West Virginia saw great success, the school will continue beer sales at on-campus sporting events.
Since football games hold and attract more fans, obviously they will net more money. But baseball games are a good start to what has already been a push by Arizona politicians to allow major Arizona universities to sell beer at sporting events.
Introduced by representatives Tom Chabin, D-Flagstaff, and Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, the bill is simply a test. It would be under the watch of the Arizona Board of Regents and would be examined by the Department of Liquor Licenses and Control. Proceeds would go to the school’s athletic department.
As it stands right now, Tucson will collect the sales tax on concessions from Arizona baseball games and receive $250,000 per year to help make needed improvements to Hi Corbett.
The UA is one of Tucson’s biggest assets, and the school’s baseball team is one of the most consistently successful teams. Tucson is in tough times and, last year, the team lost $750,000 while only averaging 800 fans per game. The addition of beer to the menu will help everyone involved.
_— Luke Davis is a pre-journalism sophomore. He can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu or on Twitter via @WildcatOpinions. _
