I have only seen 3/4 ugly incidents in the stadium. All of those incidents, alcohol was at least a contributing factor. I really cannot see any redeeming factor in bringing in alcohol.
So alcohol was a problem even though it's not allowed in the stadium? Look, I get it. It's like this message board, there's bad apples in every crowd. It is what it is.
Creighton basketball or the city of Omaha--I can't remember which--makes $95k a game from alcohol sales I've heard. Now do the math assuming Nebraska fans can consume as much as apple-martini-pinky-finger-up Creighton fan--Memorial Stadium has six times the people and six games a year. That's $3.42 million a year for the University.
And don't kid yourself, the problems you refer to are people drinking outside the stadium or at Barry's, etc.. If you're going to have the problems, why not get paid for it?
*** is right, if you want the Nebraska fan base to grow you better figure out ways to get your students and their friends to games. I'm not saying alcohol is the only way to do that, but it might make the empty seats in southeast stadium shrink a bit.
Creighton games, as much as I hate to say it because I'm not a Jaysker, are a lot of fun. There is an amazing amount of socializing and networking going on in the Lexus Club and the concourses throughout. Do they have problems? I've never really seen it but I'm sure they have incidents from time to time. I don't think they get a bad rap for it.
Your higher end ticket holders in the Champions Club etc. are drinking! They flood the elevators before games coming from the parking lot cup in hand and they flood the elevators at halftime for a quick drink or two and come back with cup in hand.
NU needs to take a page from Creighton's playbook, and I think they need to do it in a hurry. Sell out streak? I'd be shocked if that continues, but if you want it to, NU better look at Creighton and generate that social and networking atmospheres inside the stadium. I don't know that football, especially bad to average football, is going to cut it. COVID showed a lot of people how to enjoy a game from home. How many are going to come back to a dry, inconvenient stadium?