North Carolina A&T State University will join a growing list of HBCUs selling alcohol inside their football stadiums when the defending MEAC and Black College Football champions host backyard rival Elon University on Saturday.
The North Carolina A&T board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution during the summer permitting alcohol sales at most of the school’s sports venues, taking advantage of a new state law allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages at college sporting events to expanding on its practice begun a year ago.
Alcoholic beverage sales inside BB&T Stadium will be limited to wine and beer as North Carolina A&T becomes at least the 10th school among the country’s 21 Division I HBCUs selling alcohol at football games, and the second in the MEAC.
Norfolk State University began selling alcohol at its games two years ago.
“It’s an evolution of what intercollegiate athletics is moving to. in terms of what adult fans want in terms of the fan experience,’’ Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference commissioner Dennis Thomas said. “It will be a trend if it’s not already. That’s one of several things that go into the fan experience. It has evolved over time. That’s what fans want. You have to evolve with the times. Once upon a time there was prohibition, but that was not what the people wanted.”
Six of eight Southwestern Athletic Conference member schools responding to a survey by the conference office – Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M, Southern and Texas Southern universities – indicated they sell alcohol.
Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State universities don’t sell alcohol; Jackson State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff universities didn’t respond.
