May 15, 2009 6:58 pm US/Central
'U' Reverses Plans: No Alcohol At Gopher Stadium
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ―
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The University doesn't want to encourage underage drinking, so it doesn't intend to sell alcohol in general admission seats, where 20 percent of the fans are students. (File)
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Gopher football fans who forked over big dough for premium seats in the new on-campus stadium are fuming.
Before signing ticket contracts, they were told alcohol was part of the package. But now the University of Minnesota is threatening to make the whole stadium dry after state lawmakers said all fans should be able to buy a beer, or none of them.
Some season ticket holders are now feeling cheated.
Jennifer Egertson was among the first to buy premium outdoor club seats in the new TCF bank stadium.
"The tickets are expensive. I decided I was with that, but it was the amenities that were compensating for a lot of the extra cost. Definitely the private bar," she said.
Located in the highly-marketed DQ club room, serving alcohol to all premium seat ticket holders.
"That wasn't my primary focus but it was an amenity," continued Egertson.
But after the vote to allow liquor sales throughout the stands or not at all, University administrators decided to have a dry stadium.
"I just signed a contract, paid and now they are pulling the amenities away. It doesn't seem like they're considering the loyalty of people the paying all this money," added Egertson.
University officials say nothing is written in stone yet.
"We'll be looking at the whole range of options that are before us after this law passes," said University of Minnesota spokesman Daniel Wolter.
The U doesn't want to encourage underage drinking, so it doesn't intend to sell alcohol in general admission seats, where 20 percent of the fans are students.
But some ticket holders argue the U had no problem selling alcohol at the Metrodome for the more than 20 years the team played there with thousands of students in the stands.
The U says the Dome sold the beer and it's not on campus.
None of the other Big 10 schools sell beer in general admission seats. Most do what the U wants to do -- sell it only in premium seats.
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