If you think any college sporting event in Mississippi has been watched in total sobriety, then stay dry. If you don’t believe this, then you haven’t seen empty beer bottles or cans scattered throughout the stadium. Mississippi universities, as well as other institutions around the country, have ignored the fans who have smuggled their stuff into the stadium for as long as there have been games. In sports and in real life, prohibition has never worked. This vantage point makes hypocrisy almost laughable. There has been no wine or beer sales. At the gates, purses and bags were checked. Yet, donors who are large have been seen in luxury suites openly drinking beer, whiskey, and wine in air-conditioned comfort. Lockers are available for safekeeping. Southern Miss will become the first football team to sell beer or light wine products, starting with a Sept. 28 match against UTEP. Ole Miss will be following suit when Texas A & M visits Oxford Oct. 19. Mississippi State does not plan to sell alcohol during athletic events this school year. Ole Miss will also sell beer and light wines at baseball and basketball games. Southern Miss has yet to announce whether it will sell at baseball and basketball games. It is likely that USM will. The Southeastern Conference approved legislation last May that allowed alcohol sales at sporting events. Ole Miss and Texas A & M, LSU and Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, as well as Vanderbilt, have announced plans to sell spirits during games. These are the seven SEC members that have sold alcohol. Seven others aren’t. Many are waiting and watching to see how the season goes at schools that have taken the dive this year. My guess is that all 14 SEC schools will sell beer and light wines at football games when the 2020 season begins. It’s possible they might, for a variety of reasons. Not the least, because it will bring in revenue. People who wish to drink at sporting events will find a way to do so, regardless of whether they sneak it into the stadium or drink in excess before the game. Jeremy McClain, Southern Miss athletic director, knows this because he’s experienced it. Beer was sold at Troy ballgames, where he was the athletic director for almost four years. McClain stated that there were no alcohol-related incidents and that there were no problems. McClain stated that there was actually less alcohol-related incidents than ever before. It was appreciated by our fans. “We made some money.” McClain stated that the Troy athletic department earned in the region of $100,000 per year on beer sales. McClain expects Southern Miss to have a higher figure. McClain stated that sales will be tightly controlled. After the third quarter, there will be no sales. Aluminum cans and aluminum bottles will be used to sell beer and light wines. Customers will not be permitted to purchase more than one product at once. Yes, IDs will also be checked. McClain stated that the reaction from Golden Eagle fans has been “overwhelmingly positive”. “I’d rate 95 percent positive,” McClain added. McClain stated that even those who don’t intend to drink will understand the value of this event. It’s something our fans love.” USM doesn’t receive a $43million check every year from its conference. The university needs every penny it can get. Keith Carter, Ole Miss interim director, said similarly that Rebel fans’ reaction to the announcement of beer-at-games a week ago was “largely positive.” Carter stated that this decision wasn’t made lightly or in haste. “We took our time and carefully considered all factors. We won’t begin until mid-October, so we have six more weeks to ensure that we do it right. Carter said, “But I think this was an obvious decision.” “I believe you’ll see more and more teams from our league and other places go to it. Each school has to decide what’s best for them. At State, John Cohen, the athletic director, said that the school will wait and see if alcohol sales are allowed at any sporting event this school year. State may stick to that decision in the future. It’s not worth it.