Iowa athletics generated more than $3.2 million in alcohol sales, records show

Posted by Artie Phelan on Sunday, June 9, 2024

In its first year selling beer throughout Kinnick Stadium and its other sporting venues, Iowa’s athletics department generated more than $3.2 million in gross sales, according to numbers supplied to The Athletic via an open-records request.

Most of the alcohol revenue came from Iowa’s seven home football games. Gross alcohol sales exceeded $2.54 million and settled on $2.4 million after sales tax. The department formerly sold beer and wine exclusively in Kinnick Stadium’s premium area and that revenue more than doubled from $294,461 in 2019 to $659,213 in 2021. The largest single-game gross came in a top-five matchup against Penn State, generating nearly $473,000.

Of the program’s winter sports, the Hawkeyes totaled $632,487 in alcohol sales. That includes $359,142 during men’s basketball games, $191,285 for wrestling meets and $82,060 during women’s basketball games. Iowa’s only weekend home Big Ten men’s basketball game generated the most alcohol sales ($42,030), Jan. 27 against Penn State, while the No. 1 vs. No. 2 wrestling dual against Penn State was the highest-grossing event in alcohol sales outside of football ($71,213).

(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / USA TODAY Sports)

How did fans respond?

Scott Dochterman, Iowa beat writer: According to a survey conducted by the athletics department emailed to fans after the season, 82 percent of respondents reported that expanded beer and wine sales at Kinnick Stadium had either a positive impact (43 percent) or no impact (39 percent) on their overall gameday experience.

How did full-venue alcohol sales affect the arrest total?

Dochterman: After a five-year average from 2010-14 with 397 citations annually, the UI Department of Public Safety issued 24 gameday citations during seven home dates at Kinnick Stadium in 2021. From 2015-19, UI police averaged 33 citations per year.

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