USC to sell alcohol again during home football games at the Coliseum

The USC Trojans take the field prior to the first half of a game against the Washington State Cougars at Los Angeles Coliseum on December 06, 2020 in Los Angeles. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

by: Los Angeles Times

Posted: Aug 5, 2021 / 07:14 PM PDT

Updated: Aug 5, 2021 / 07:14 PM PDT

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When the Coliseum reopens to USC fans this fall, they’ll be able to toast their long-awaited return with an adult beverage.

The university’s athletic department announced Thursday it will expand beer and wine sales to all fans this season for the first time since 2004, when USC followed up a national championship season with a ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages in an attempt to curtail bad behavior in the stands.

An end to that 17-year prohibition had been in the works since before the outset of the pandemic, as USC searched for ways to improve the game-day experience at the Coliseum. A season of empty stands — and losses in revenue — only increased that urgency.

Seven other Pac-12 schools were already set to sell beer and wine in their football stadiums this season, including UCLA, which announced its alcohol sale plans last week. USC has in recent years sold alcohol to donors in the Coliseum’s Scholarship Tower and throughout its club seating, while the Rams sold alcohol to all fans during the four seasons the team spent at the Coliseum.

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