Serving Alcoholic Beverages at Athletic Events Policy

Authority: Athletics
Date Enacted or Revised: Enacted March 26, 2018; Revised November 7, 2018; December 18, 2018; January 28, 2020; March 15, 2022; August 7, 2024

Purpose

The primary purpose of these Policies and Procedures are to ensure that alcoholic beverages served at athletic events are carried out in a safe and responsible manner. Alcoholic beverages shall be defined as beer, wine, or distilled spirits. This policy is intended to align with the NCAA Championship and Ancillary Event Alcohol Sales Policy and University of Louisiana System Policy and Procedure Memorandum FB-IV.VII-1, Sales and Distribution of Alcoholic Beverages. Public safety and compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, and University policies will be given first priority consideration when making decisions related to management of alcoholic beverage sales at athletic events. 

Management

The deputy athletics director will monitor alcoholic beverage sales and consumption activities for compliance with University policies as part of the deputy athletic director’s game management responsibilities.

Sodexo, the University’s exclusive meal provider, will manage and operate alcohol beverage sales at athletic events. Sodexo will employ all alcoholic beverage sellers at athletic events. Sodexo will be responsible for notifying applicable regulatory agencies as required and shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining the required licenses and permits to sell alcoholic beverages at athletic events. Sodexo shall ensure all state and federal laws are followed.

Education and Licensing

As required by state and federal laws and regulations, all sellers of alcoholic beverages will be required to have successfully completed the required education and possess a valid State of Louisiana bar card at all times when selling alcoholic beverages. Sodexo will be responsible for ensuring that all alcoholic beverage sellers have the required credentials. Sodexo will contract with a qualified third party to provide the required education, as needed, and Sodexo will pay for the cost of training.

In addition, Sodexo and the University will seek to provide alcohol awareness education to those persons involved in the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages at athletic events, including but not limited to employees verifying legal age, employees selling alcoholic beverages, law enforcement officers, University employees, and students. 

Legal Age Verification

No alcoholic beverage may be possessed, distributed, served, or consumed by persons under the age of 21. Sodexo employees will verify that all alcoholic beverage purchasers are of at least the legally required age of 21 years, as required by law, before alcoholic beverage sales are transacted. Alcoholic beverage sellers may not in any circumstance sell an alcoholic beverage if legal age cannot be verified. The purchaser’s state driver’s license or equivalent form of official state identification will be the accepted form of identification. Age verification scanners will be employed to assist in verifying legal age. After legal age has been verified, Sodexo shall fasten a wristband that is unique to McNeese State University and to the individual game on one of the purchaser’s wrists before the alcoholic beverage is sold to the purchaser. Different color wrist bands with McNeese logos will be used for each game. At Sodexo’s discretion, verification of age may occur at the alcoholic beverage selling venue or at a separate location determined by Sodexo. Even if a purchaser has a wristband, if a seller has doubts as to whether the purchaser is of the legally required age, the alcoholic beverage seller should ask for the purchaser’s driver’s license to verify age. If a purchaser refuses to provide proper identification, the seller may not rescind the request, and the seller shall refuse to sell the alcoholic beverage to the purchaser no matter how old the customer appears.

Sales Limitations

Sellers shall limit purchasers to no more than two containers of alcoholic beverages for each sales transaction.  Maximum serving sizes per container will be as follows:

  • Beer: 16 ounces
  • Wine: 6 ounces
  • Distilled Spirts: 1.5 ounces of alcohol*

* For NCAA championship events, distilled spirits will not be served. Offerings may only include beer and wine.

Sellers shall refuse to sell alcoholic beverages to anyone perceived to be inebriated.

Alcoholic beverage sales shall cease at pre-designated times at particular athletic games. See individual sports for specific times.

Security and Law Enforcement

Law enforcement shall include a search for alcohol when searching for items entering the athletic venue. Law enforcement shall not allow persons entry into the athletic venue with alcohol in their possession.

Law enforcement will at all times be in a reasonably close visual distance of all alcoholic beverage sales venues. Law enforcement shall assist alcoholic beverage sellers in the safe and responsible selling of alcoholic beverages and in the enforcement of these policies and procedures.

Law enforcement and/or other University-designated personnel will not allow athletic event attendees to leave the athletic venue with a container containing an alcoholic beverage. Attendees will be required to discard the alcoholic beverage before leaving the athletic venue. Trash receptacles will be placed at venue entrances/exits for disposal of alcoholic beverages.

In the interest of public safety, if an attendee leaves the athletic venue, re-entry into the facility will not be permitted (see the doubleheader exception for baseball/softball below).

Specific Athletic Venues

Alcoholic beverages will be served only at baseball, softball, football, and basketball games. The following are specific policies and procedures for these individual sports.

Baseball

Alcoholic beverages will be sold from the baseball concession stand. Alcoholic beverage rules signage will be placed at entrances and at various locations around the stadium.

Alcoholic beverage purchasers will be allowed to bring alcoholic beverages to their seats, but alcoholic beverage hawkers will not be used. Attendees will need to have a valid ticket to enter the stadium through the end of the seventh inning. Alcohol beverage sales shall cease at the end of the seventh inning. 

For doubleheader games, if the second game of a doubleheader begins within 30 minutes of the end of the first game, alcohol beverages may be sold through the seventh inning of the second game without interruption between games.

Softball

Alcoholic beverages will be sold from the northernmost window of the concession stand. Alcoholic beverage rules signage will be placed at entrances and at various locations around the stadium.

Alcoholic beverage purchasers will be allowed to bring alcoholic beverages to their seats, but alcoholic beverage hawkers will not be used. Attendees will need to have a valid ticket to enter the stadium through the end of the fifth inning. Alcoholic beverage sales shall cease at the end of the fifth inning. 

For doubleheader games, if the second game of a doubleheader begins within 30 minutes of the end of the first game, alcohol beverages may be sold through the fifth inning of the second game without interruption between games.

As a single exception to the general policy precluding re-entry, attendees will be allowed re-entry into the softball athletic venue between doubleheader games without having to purchase an additional ticket.

Football

Football game attendees will need to have a valid ticket to enter the stadium through the end of the third quarter. Alcohol beverage rules signage will be placed at entrances and at various locations around the football stadium. Signage will also be placed at the elevators of the Sky Ranch and End Zone Room, which will indicate that alcoholic beverages may not leave those locations.

Alcoholic beverages will be sold from locations under the east and west stands. Alcoholic beverage purchasers will be allowed to bring alcoholic beverages to their seats, but alcoholic beverage hawkers will not be used. Alcoholic beverage sales shall cease at the end of the third quarter (on the fourth quarter whistle).

Basketball

Basketball game attendees will need to have a valid ticket to enter the venue through the end of the third quarter.  Alcoholic beverage rules signage will be placed at entrances and at various locations around the basketball venue. Signage will also be placed at the suite elevators, which will indicate that alcoholic beverages may not leave the suites.

Alcoholic beverages will be sold from designated concession area locations. Alcoholic beverage purchasers will be allowed to bring alcoholic beverages to their seats, but alcoholic beverage hawkers will not be used. Alcoholic beverage sales shall cease at the end of the third quarter.

Communication

This policy is distributed via the University Policies webpage. The Division of Athletics will also inform the general public of this policy through means it deems appropriate.