Five shots of vodka in 10 minutes might be typical for a Fresno State student attending a football game at Bulldog Stadium.
Bulldog Stadium has been alcohol free for two seasons now and there are concerns of whether this has created a binge drinking environment.
Charles B. Reed, chancellor of the California State University system, issued an executive order to ban alcohol sales at sporting events in December 2005.
Thomas Vath, a liberal studies major, said he and his friends find the policy ridiculous. They attend the games more intoxicated compared to when alcohol was allowed.
“We pretty much drink before the game to get drunk,â€Â Vath said. “Then we sneak booze in to stay drunk throughout the game.â€Â
Vath, a 20-year-old from East Greenbush, N.Y., explained how some of his friends sneak in alcohol by taping their flasks to their legs or stuffing their flasks into a sleeve of their shirts.
Some law enforcement officials, however, said alcohol abuse at games is on the decline.
Ted Guerrero, a corporal from the University Police Department, said the ban of alcohol at the stadium has made a huge difference.
“The first dry game was a nightmare. We had over 50 medical calls in the first quarter,â€Â Guerrero said. “But now that the public is used to the policy, we don’t have nearly the same amount of problems as we did last year.â€Â
Guerrero mentioned how they recently started to issue a $25 fine to those caught sneaking in alcohol. He feels this potentially discourages fans from abusing alcohol at the games.
Guerrero said the University Police Department has been able to cut back on the amount of police officers on duty at the games.
He also added that students haven̢۪t been the biggest problems.
“It’s those tailgaters. Once the game starts, they continue to drink in the parking lot even though it’s against policy,â€Â Guerrero said.
Ilich Lopez, a 22-year-old marketing major from San Jose, said he feels the ban of alcohol is dangerous for students because they are showing up to the games inebriated just to make it through halftime.
“I’ve seen girls take five shots in 10 minutes,â€Â Lopez said. “They’re blacked out before they even make it to the game.â€Â
Lopez said it might be safer if the CSU system allowed alcohol at sporting events again. He admitted to drinking more now than he used to back when beer was sold at the football games.
When young adults binge drink, they are putting themselves at great risk, according to Michelle Spruit, a Cardio-Vascular Technician from Kaiser Permanente.
Spruit said when alcohol is first consumed it absorbs into the blood stream and is later metabolized by the liver.
If a person has one standard drink, the liver can usually metabolize it within one hour.
If excessive alcohol is consumed within that hour window, the blood becomes saturated and the alcohol redirects itself into body tissues and the blood stream, until the liver is ready to metabolize it.
“I don’t think people realize the harm they are causing their body,â€Â Spruit said. “It’s a shock to the body when you binge drink. Both your brain and your liver don’t know how to react.â€Â
Although Guerrero said the number of intoxicated students has seemed to decrease, he admitted to witnessing some students still showing up to the games under the influence.
“Of course students are still drinking before the game,â€Â Guerrero said. “We still catch people trying to bring in stuff all the time. But I think the majority have learned their lesson from last year. Either they’re not drinking before the game anymore, or they’ve just learned to outsmart us.â€Â
J Rod • Dec 5, 2007 at 1:14 am
That whole taping of flasks to legs and arms sounds not only painful, but cumbersome with trying to pour into your coke or whatever. I got a set of barnoculars from this site, hideyourbooze.com, that are foolproof! They got a bunch of clever methods for hiding booze.
J Rod • Dec 5, 2007 at 8:14 am
That whole taping of flasks to legs and arms sounds not only painful, but cumbersome with trying to pour into your coke or whatever. I got a set of barnoculars from this site, hideyourbooze.com, that are foolproof! They got a bunch of clever methods for hiding booze.
FSDogs1 • Nov 29, 2007 at 6:04 pm
What about it? It wasn’t two days after Thanksgiving when Utah State came to town Nov. 3 and the student section was half-full.
And two days after Thanksgiving didn’t stop a 5-6 K-State team from filling an ENTIRE section of the stadium with lavendar shirts…
That’s not like our students to be no-shows that way. Pat Hill gives them all the credit in the world in front of the media and then they don’t show up when it counts most? Why? Sounds like the makings of a good in-depth story to me…
FSDogs1 • Nov 30, 2007 at 1:04 am
What about it? It wasn’t two days after Thanksgiving when Utah State came to town Nov. 3 and the student section was half-full.
And two days after Thanksgiving didn’t stop a 5-6 K-State team from filling an ENTIRE section of the stadium with lavendar shirts…
That’s not like our students to be no-shows that way. Pat Hill gives them all the credit in the world in front of the media and then they don’t show up when it counts most? Why? Sounds like the makings of a good in-depth story to me…
Benjamin Baxter • Nov 29, 2007 at 12:53 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Future Squirrel Stuffer
What about that whole “it was two days after Thanksgiving” thing?
Benjamin Baxter • Nov 29, 2007 at 7:53 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Future Squirrel Stuffer
What about that whole “it was two days after Thanksgiving” thing?
FSDogs1 • Nov 29, 2007 at 12:46 pm
The students are the most important thing at the games, the lifeblood of the crowd. But, it was some of their own fault alcohol has been banned. Throwing bottles at Oregon State twice isn’t the way to prove one should not be treated like children…
Furthermore, WHERE THE HECK have all the students been the past two football games? The usually jam-packed student section has only been about half full.
Somebody over there needs to do something!
FSDogs1 • Nov 29, 2007 at 7:46 pm
The students are the most important thing at the games, the lifeblood of the crowd. But, it was some of their own fault alcohol has been banned. Throwing bottles at Oregon State twice isn’t the way to prove one should not be treated like children…
Furthermore, WHERE THE HECK have all the students been the past two football games? The usually jam-packed student section has only been about half full.
Somebody over there needs to do something!
2 girls 1 cup dot com • Nov 27, 2007 at 2:09 pm
When you allow alcohol, people are going to be less likely to abuse. This seems reasonable to assume. I think many have the, “No beer? Watch this…” type of mentality after they have been treated like children by the university. I, for one, pounded about 8 gin and tonics inside the stadium on Saturday. Call me Houdini, but I easily managed to sneak them in.
Are you kidding me, Corporal Guerrero? A $25 dollar fine—–let me see you enforce that——on second thought, get people for smoking in the seating sections (long university policy to boot smokers who do not use the designated areas). Seems to me a case of misplaced priorities.
2 girls 1 cup dot com • Nov 27, 2007 at 9:09 pm
When you allow alcohol, people are going to be less likely to abuse. This seems reasonable to assume. I think many have the, “No beer? Watch this…” type of mentality after they have been treated like children by the university. I, for one, pounded about 8 gin and tonics inside the stadium on Saturday. Call me Houdini, but I easily managed to sneak them in.
Are you kidding me, Corporal Guerrero? A $25 dollar fine—–let me see you enforce that——on second thought, get people for smoking in the seating sections (long university policy to boot smokers who do not use the designated areas). Seems to me a case of misplaced priorities.