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Alcohol Beverage Sales to Begin at Kentucky Baseball & Softball, “Could Extend to Additional Sports”

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UK Athletics

In 2019, the SEC voted to end its ban on alcohol sales, leaving each school to make their own decision on whether or not to sell alcohol at sporting events. Since then, it has of the biggest conversations amongst Kentucky fans.

Over three years since the SEC’s decision, Kentucky is one of the few schools yet to allow it. That is until now.

On Friday afternoon, Mitch Barnhart and the Athletic Department announced that University of Kentucky Athletics will initiate a pilot program and begin sales of alcoholic beverages at baseball and softball home games during the upcoming seasons.

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“We focused on data and the lessons learned and best practices from other institutions,” Barnhart said in the announcement. “After careful consideration of these factors, we concluded that the time is right to implement a pilot program at baseball and softball games this season so that we can learn more.”

While the pilot program will not include any additional spring sports, they say it “could be extended to additional sports,” in the future. Here is more information regarding the pilot program:

  • Alcohol beverage sales will include beer and seltzer products, sold in cans or cups
  • Sales will have a limit of two per transaction.
  • Identification check will take place at each transaction.
  • Alcohol sales at baseball will conclude at the completion of the top of the seventh inning (i.e., middle of the seventh). 
  • Alcohol sales at softball will conclude at the completion of the top of the fifth inning (i.e., middle of the fifth). 

The announcement also included a Q&A with Barnhart, as he provided answers to common questions that fans have asked in recent years.

Q&A 

Q: Since the Southeastern Conference first permitted alcohol sales at home venues in 2019, Kentucky Athletics has chosen not to do so.  Why the change now?

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A: The gameday experience for our student-athletes and fans is extremely important to us.  This is a significant change and we wanted to monitor how this affected the home atmosphere and gameday-management operations at other league schools. In recent years, the norm has shifted and fans have come to expect beer as an amenity at entertainment events.

Q: What role did UK campus authorities play in this decision?

A: As we have said before, this has been a collective decision we made as an institution and we are appreciative of the support we receive from our administration.

Q: What do you say to the fans who have expressed the desire to keep our athletics events without alcohol sales?

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A: It’s well-known that there are strong opinions on each side of the issue. Being considerate of those who have voiced those concerns is part of why we have moved deliberately and taken some time to get to this point. Our concessions partner, Aramark, is managing beer/seltzer sales at venues all across the country and will be monitoring consumption to help ensure a positive fan experience.

Q: Are you concerned that some fans will no longer come to games because of alcohol sales?

A: Providing a positive, enjoyable gameday experience for all our fans is a foundational principle for us.  Our goal is to continue to provide that experience so that everyone feels comfortable in attending our events.

Q: Will you have an alcohol-free seating section?

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A: That is not planned at this time; however, beer and seltzer will only be sold in designated locations in these two venues.

Q: Will you have an evaluation process for fans who appear to be overserved?

A: Aramark has deep experience and provides training in managing alcohol sales in a way that protects the fan experience. Aramark also provides dedicated monitors at every venue where it sells alcohol.

Q: When will you decide about expanding sales to football games and what factors will be involved in that decision?

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A: That decision will be made during the summer as we evaluate the baseball and softball seasons and any other information that becomes available.

Q: How will pilots at baseball and softball give you information that is relevant to the SEC football environment at Kroger Field?

A: This is a good place for us to start.  We are approaching this in a deliberate and thoughtful manner.  We will see what we learn from the pilots and continue to study information available from league institutions and other sources.

Q: Alcohol is already available in private club spaces and suites at Kroger Field.  Some fans believe you don’t trust them to consume alcohol in a responsible way and that the “common fan” is being unfairly excluded from enjoying a beer at a UK football game.  How do you respond?

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A: We have the best fans — loyal, dedicated, passionate and loud.  We absolutely trust them, but as we mentioned earlier, we have wanted to go about this in a thoughtful, deliberate way.  We will continue to learn from the data, lessons learned and best practices from peer institutions in evaluating event-management procedures and possible challenges.  

Q: You talk about the fan experience, but what about the student-athlete experience? Do you worry that UK athletes or their opponents could be subject to inappropriate or rude behavior if alcohol were sold during games?

A: We always monitor fan behavior at every venue in the interest of a positive experience for everyone involved and that will continue.  Our culture of UK Athletics is support for our teams and respect for the opponent.  We will continue to have a high standard of sportsmanship at our contests and will not stray from that principle.

Q: What role did financial considerations play in the decision and how much money do you expect to make?

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A: The possibility of an additional revenue stream played a role in the decision but was not a primary consideration. In making our decision, revenue considerations come in a distant third to the student and fan experiences. The revenue raised will not be a significant piece of our funding.

Q: Will there be alcohol advertising in the stadium?

A: Per SEC rules, no alcoholic beverage advertising is allowed at the stadium except at the point of sale.

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Football

Ray Davis Shows Selflessness and Humility After Historic Performance

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Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) walks off the field after the game against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky running back Ray Davis put up a performance for the ages on Saturday against Florida, one that put him among the top of the Kentucky Football record books.

Davis rushed for a career-high 280 yards, the third most in Kentucky football history, which included three rushing touchdowns and one reception for a touchdown. Close to the single-game Kentucky record for rushing yards, Davis stayed humble after the game, giving credit to his offensive line.

“You’ve got to give credit to the O-line and the receiver corps,” Davis said after the game. “These guys were blocking downfield. I was just staying with it.”

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When asked about his historic performance, Davis declined to take any individual credit, citing the “collective unit” made history. “I didn’t make history, our O-Line made history. WE ran for over 300 yards. As a collective unit, we made history.”

Davis’ performance earned him SEC Offensive Player of The Week, while also establishing himself as one of the SEC’s top running backs.

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NFL Analyst Dan Graziano Expects Will Levis To be Titans Starter Soon

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ennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) walks to the field before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium.
© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Many analysts and folks around the NFL expected Will Levis to be a top pick in the NFL Draft. It was already odd to see Levis fall out of the top ten, but when he fell out of the first round, people were shocked.

However, it didn’t take long for Levis to find a new home. With the 33rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans drafted Will Levis. Surely, Levis would become the starter in Nashville, right?

The Titans have an aging, declining quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, and the Malik Willis experiment seems to have failed. Despite those things, Levis is playing second string alongside Willis.

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Tennessee is 2-2, coming off a 27-3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite that, it may be time for a change at QB, and NFL analyst Dan Graziano thinks that change is coming.

Graziano said it is NOT an overreaction to think that Will Levis will be the starting quarterback for the Titans by November.


With the Titans heading toward impending doom as they fall to the bottom of the AFC South, why not give Levis a shot? After all, he was just drafted with a 2nd round draft pick, and the sky is the limit for him.

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RECAP: Three Takeaways from Kentucky’s Historic Win Over Florida

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Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday was a fun day in Lexington, Kentucky. The BBN was up and early, energized and ready to go as the Florida Gators came to town. However, Mark Stoops’ team was just as ready for the game. The Cats took a big lead early and never looked back as they won 33-14.

To start the game, Ray Davis set the tone early with a 22 yard run, a receiving touchdown, and then a massive 75 yard dash to the house. Kentucky would lead 16-0 after fifteen minutes of play.

The 2nd quarter was pretty uneventful for the most part, but Ray Davis would score his third touchdown of the day, and Florida would answer with their own touchdown via Graham Mertz finding Hayden Hansen in the end zone. UK led 23-7 at the break.

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To begin the 2nd half, Ray Davis would score his fourth touchdown of the day. Then, Mertz would find superstar receiver Ricky Pearsall for a 33 yard touchdown. Heading into the 4th quarter, Kentucky was up 30-14.

Brad White and the defense would stop Florida again and again, and Alex Raynor would put the icing on the cake to make the final score 33-14. Kentucky would end up beating Florida for the third consecutive season.

Execution on Defense

Other than a couple of big plays, Kentucky held their own against the Florida Gators offense. Coming into the game, everyone knew that Florida was a run heavy team fueled by a two headed monster in the backfield in Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr.

All week long, Brad White and Coach Stoops preached that it was imperative for Kentucky to execute. They noted that physicality and technique were going to be key in this game.

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From making open field tackles to getting pressure in the backfield, Kentucky did everything they needed to do on the defensive side of the ball. Very impressive game from Coach White and his unit.

Big Blue Wall Finally In Gear

One of the biggest surprises of the day was that Kentucky’s o-line really dominated against Florida. The Gators have a very big, strong, and rather athletic front seven, but they were no match for Kentucky.

Suddenly, all of those costly holding calls were nonexistent. There were no bad snaps, and of course, they paved the way to Ray Davis’ historic game. Despite finishing with 280 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, Davis had to give credit to the guys up front.

“I didn’t make history. Our o-line made history… As a collective unit, we made history.” The offensive line did all the small things right. However, they did the big things right too, and it resulted in making history.

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This Team Can be Special

Now, time for the news that the BBN wants to hear: the 2023 Kentucky Wildcats can be special. Kentucky is 5-0 for only the third time in school history. The first two times? 2018 and 2021.

It won’t be an easy road for Kentucky from here on out. The brutal gauntlet of the SEC schedule is here, and the Cats will face the toughest team they will all season, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.

We’ve already seen some special stuff from Kentucky over the last several seasons. 10-win seasons and Citrus Bowl wins are cool, but maybe this is the year UK takes the next step. For that to happen, Kentucky must do the impossible next week.


You can view the full box score from UK’s 33-14 win below:

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