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It took longer than many might’ve expected, but Wisconsin football fans will soon be able to purchase alcohol inside Camp Randall Stadium. The announcement was made on Monday during the start of Big Ten Media Days.
That’s huge news for a campus that loves its booze.
Madison, Wisconsin is the conference’s drunkest city according to a list made by 24/7 Wall Street back in 2023. It won that honor by a large margin, too.
Madison ranked fourth on the list of “Drunkest Cities in the US,” with the next closest Big Ten town coming in at No. 13 (Iowa City). While Nebraska (No. 17) and Iowa made the Top 20 cut, the Badgers’ home base was the only to be listed in the Top 10.
In fact, the entire state seemed to land somewhere in that study. Ten of the 20 spots included cities in Wisconsin, including each of the Top 4.
More on Madison:
All four U.S. metro areas with the highest excessive drinking rates are in Wisconsin, and Madison is fourth. Some 25.9% of adults in the metro area report drinking excessively compared to 18.0% of adults nationwide. There are about 226 bars and restaurants for every 100,000 Madison metro area residents. Nationwide, there are 184 drinking establishments per 100,000 people.
Nearly 44,000 students attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison. College students often report high levels of binge drinking, likely contributing to the city’s overall excessive drinking rate.
Wisconsin football fans can now enjoy a beverage in Camp Randall Stadium.
The school broke the news in a story on UWBadgers.com:
Beginning with the football season home opener on Friday, Aug. 30, Wisconsin Athletics will begin selling alcoholic beverages in the general seating areas at Camp Randall Stadium. Athletics will offer beer, wine and pre-packaged alcoholic products such as hard seltzers. Sales will also begin at the UW Field House, home to the Badger women’s volleyball and men’s wrestling teams…
Fans at Camp Randall will be limited to purchasing only two drinks at a time per person, the University of Wisconsin Police Department will provide increased on-site presence, and fans will continue to have access to a text line to report any problems they may encounter. Additionally, ID policy at the stadium will mirror that at the Kohl Center and LaBahn: Anyone who appears under the age of 40 will need to show ID, which will be verified by an electronic scanner.
That might’ve been helpful over the last couple of years with the team struggling to 7-6 outputs. Last season, which was new head coach Luke Fickell’s first, saw the Badgers lose four of their last six games after being picked by the media to win the Big Ten West.
This year, they’ve been predicted to finish 7th in the league with the conference doing away with divisions. Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Iowa are projected ahead of the Badgers, as are newcomers Oregon and USC.
With the alcohol sales announcement, Wisconsin becomes the 16th of 18 Big Ten members to gain approval.
Most probably didn’t anticipate that the Badgers would be this late to the game, but as the saying goes, better late than never!