Wichita State Shockers fans have enjoyed five consecutive NCAA Basketball Tournament appearances and the fun times at Koch Arena are going to continue this year in ways that go beyond the game on the court as Wichita State adds beer to the concession stands. Brad Pittman, associate athletic director of facilities and operations, says the addition of beer will help push the game day experience to a new level.
“This is becoming more the norm than the exception in our industry,” Pittman said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to provide a different guest experience for our fans.”
Beer sales at college sporting events are catching on quickly as universities look for more ways to increase revenues and additional incentives to encourage customers to attend games. Universities in the past were reluctant to serve alcoholic beverages due to issues with student underage consumption. But the tide is turning as more and more universities expand concessions to include alcoholic drinks.
Wichita State found itself in a predicament of sorts with its lack of beer sales, as it was the only school in its conference that did not sell beer in its home arena. By adding beer sales, Wichita State is now on a level playing field with other teams in the American Athletic Conference, which the Shockers joined this year.
“We’re looking at this as an opportunity to capture an additional revenue source at a time when an additional revenue source, especially with a move to a new conference, is something that we need,” Pittman said.
Eck Stadium, the home to Wichita State baseball, has been selling beer for three decades and will continue to do so. Pittman says it is still uncertain whether beer sales will expand to Cessna Stadium, host of the school’s track and field meets.
No one is yet sure what beers will be sold at Koch Arena, so craft beer fans shouldn’t get their hopes up just yet. Attendees also need to bear in mind that beer sales will be cut off halfway through the second half of each basketball game- a policy that is followed in many other schools.
“We kind of looked at what other folks did,” Pittman said.
Another restriction on beer sales will be the games themselves. Wichita State’s arenas and stadiums often host high school sports, graduations, etc. If a high school event is taking place, beer sales will be strictly forbidden.
“We’re mindful of the message that it sends and we want to be careful how we portray that,” Pittman added. “There are some events that we do that just don’t make sense for us to do this.”
Leave a Reply