You can buy beer this year at Albertsons Stadium; BSU says baseball, swim won’t return
If Boise State football fans get to attend games in Albertsons Stadium this fall, they’ll be able to buy a beer or two while cheering the Broncos on.
Beer and seltzer sales in the stadium’s main concessions areas was one of several logistical points touched on in an email sent Monday to season ticket holders, laying out changes to game day operations.
Most of the new policies are geared toward increasing social distancing and limiting the spread of the coronavirus, but alcohol sales in Albertsons Stadium has been an often contentious topic of discussion, dating back to at least 2011.
In April, the Idaho State Board of Education gave the presidents of the state’s colleges and universities the authority to decide if alcohol will be sold at athletic events and tailgates.
Boise State Athletic Director Curt Apsey has said in the past that he’s not a fan of it.
“I’m not sure it has a place in college football,” Apsey told the Statesman in 2015. “… I would say I’m not a proponent of having alcohol in a stadium of college football, open like that.”
Boise State President Dr. Marlene Tromp, on the other hand, has been intrigued by the idea since she was hired last April. She told The Athletic last fall she didn’t even realize Boise State didn’t sell alcohol until she attended her first home game.
“So many stadiums around the country do it now,” Tromp told The Athletic. “We’re doing some exploring, and if we want to do it, we have to do it the right way.”
Other anticipated changes at Albertsons Stadium:
▪ Physical distancing will be required in the stands, which means season ticket holders are not to have their same seats, and pricing or per seat contributions may change. Seat placement will be based on priority point rank by account, according to the university.
▪ Face coverings will be required for everyone inside the stadium during ingress, egress and in common areas.
▪ There will be no re-entry to the stadium, which is not only intended to minimize the number of touch points for those entering and exiting the stadium, but also coincides with the decision to sell alcohol. As a safety measure, most stadiums around the country that sell alcohol do not allow re-entry.
▪ The Tailgate Zone at DeChevrieux Field will be open for individual tent sales only, allowing for social distancing. The general public fan zone will not be open.
▪ There will be a no-bag policy with the exception of diaper bags and medically necessary items.
▪ Hand-sanitizing stations will be located at every entry and inside all restrooms.
▪ Physical distancing markers will be in place at entrance gates, concessions stands, the Broncos Shop and the ticket office.
▪ All high-contact surfaces, including handrails, will be sanitized before the gates open.
▪ There will be designated tailgating spots with required physical distancing between spaces and parking-only spots.
Additional guidelines are likely to be issued as Boise State continues to coordinate with city, state and Central District Health officials, according to the email.
Ada — the state’s most populated county, which includes Boise — has seen COVID-19 cases surge in recent weeks. It has reported 1,998 since June and its state-leading case count hit 4,212 on Monday.
Football and soccer players began returning to Boise State during the first week of June. On June 8, the university reported multiple athletes had tested positive for the virus but declined to identify them or specify which sport they played, citing federal privacy laws.
On June 24, the university announced four positive cases in the athletic department. On Thursday, Boise State announced it had tested 533 athletes, coaches and staff members and detected 22 positive cases since the beginning of June.
The Broncos began organized team activities on Monday — the first day allowed by the NCAA. They’re scheduled to open fall camp on Aug. 7.
Boise State is scheduled to open the 2020 season in Albertsons Stadium Sept. 5 against Georgia Southern.
Season ticket holders wishing to opt out of the 2020 season have until July 20 to choose between three options: covert payments to a donation to the Bronco Athletic Association, apply payments to the 2021 season or request a refund.
Tromp: Baseball, swim won’t return
After Boise State announced July 2 it was cutting its baseball and swim and dive teams as part of an anticipated $3 million reduction to its budget, the athletic department was flooded with pleas from athletes, family members and fans to save the programs.
Fundraising efforts have garnered considerable donations for both programs. The swim and dive team raised more than $500,000, and through a GoFundMe campaign, the baseball team collected more than $60,000.
But the university remains steadfast that fundraising to save the teams is not an option. Tromp said as much in a statement released Tuesday morning.
“Ultimately, in order to remain competitive at the highest level, we needed a realistic road map to a sustainable future for the university and its athletic department,” Tromp said. “While I feel deeply for those who have been affected by this decision, it will not be reversed.”
Annual expenses for the swim and dive team averaged $907,736 over the past three years, according to documents obtained by the Statesman through a public records request. Apsey said disbanding the two teams will save the department about $2.2 million, meaning the baseball team’s expenses in its first season back since 1980 were around $1.3 million.
Tromp said while the decision was fiscally necessary, she empathizes with the toll it has taken on the athletes and coaches. The swim team had 12 athletes on scholarship and another 29 receiving some sort of “athletic aid.” The baseball team had 32 players on the roster, many of whom were on campus since 2018.
“I grieve with the student-athletes and their families who are experiencing anger, grief, and loss as a result of the grave decision to eliminate athletic programs,” Tromp said. “We have heard directly from many of them, as well as from parents and members of the community. Each and every story is moving, and I understand that this decision and its timing have been burdensome and heartbreaking for many of the people involved. For that I am truly sorry.”
“No university ever wishes to take such steps,” she continued. “I didn’t wish it, and neither did (Apsey). We took the only mitigating actions we could for the benefit of our student-athletes and their future: honoring their scholarships and putting into place resources to support them as they pursue their next steps.”
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 12:26 PM.
