NCAA urges cap on College World Series alcohol licenses
Posted: Sunday, February 11, 2007
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Omaha needs to stem the flow of beer and beer gardens near Rosenblatt Stadium during the College World Series, says the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
In a letter to Omaha, the NCAA also said it wants the city to create a "clean zone" around the stadium. The zone would bar alcohol, unlicensed NCAA merchandise and unauthorized advertising.
Each June, the baseball tournament spawns a neighborhood festival of beer gardens, vendors and tailgaters. Some residents in the south Omaha neighborhood have bitterly complained over the years about litter and other spillover onto their streets.
Alcohol cannot be sold inside the stadium during the series.
"We want to create a clean zone around Rosenblatt Stadium to maintain the image of the College World Series as a family event," said Dennis Poppe, the NCAA's managing director for football and baseball. "This city is synonymous with the College World Series, but what kind of image does the city of Omaha want to present?"
Omaha has contracted with the NCAA for the series through 2010, but issues with liquor sales and services could be a bargaining point during the next negotiations, Poppe said.
The NCAA has raised concerns before, said Joe Gudenrath, a spokeswoman for Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, but this is the NCAA's first formal request for a cap on temporary liquor licenses.
The mayor backs the idea of capping the number of liquor licenses, Gudenrath said, and will see whether the city receives more than the seven applications approved last year.
If more than seven come in, Gudenrath said, Fahey will pursue a cap.
City Councilman Garry Gernandt, who represents the Rosenblatt area, and Councilman Franklin Thompson have worked out a plan to reduce the series' impact on Rosenblatt's neighbors.
"We will do a critique in July to see how things went," Gernandt said. "The issue of a cap could come back."
Series organizer Jack Diesing Jr. said the series atmosphere has changed.
"Everybody has figured out a way to be an entrepreneur, whether it's selling your yard for parking or setting up a trailer to cook hot dogs," Diesing said. "It's gotten a little bit out of control and unorganized. On some level, it's not as safe anymore."
Ideally, Diesing and Poppe said, they'd just as soon there were no beer gardens.
In a letter to Omaha, the NCAA also said it wants the city to create a "clean zone" around the stadium. The zone would bar alcohol, unlicensed NCAA merchandise and unauthorized advertising.
Each June, the baseball tournament spawns a neighborhood festival of beer gardens, vendors and tailgaters. Some residents in the south Omaha neighborhood have bitterly complained over the years about litter and other spillover onto their streets.
Alcohol cannot be sold inside the stadium during the series.
"We want to create a clean zone around Rosenblatt Stadium to maintain the image of the College World Series as a family event," said Dennis Poppe, the NCAA's managing director for football and baseball. "This city is synonymous with the College World Series, but what kind of image does the city of Omaha want to present?"
Omaha has contracted with the NCAA for the series through 2010, but issues with liquor sales and services could be a bargaining point during the next negotiations, Poppe said.
The NCAA has raised concerns before, said Joe Gudenrath, a spokeswoman for Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, but this is the NCAA's first formal request for a cap on temporary liquor licenses.
The mayor backs the idea of capping the number of liquor licenses, Gudenrath said, and will see whether the city receives more than the seven applications approved last year.
If more than seven come in, Gudenrath said, Fahey will pursue a cap.
City Councilman Garry Gernandt, who represents the Rosenblatt area, and Councilman Franklin Thompson have worked out a plan to reduce the series' impact on Rosenblatt's neighbors.
"We will do a critique in July to see how things went," Gernandt said. "The issue of a cap could come back."
Series organizer Jack Diesing Jr. said the series atmosphere has changed.
"Everybody has figured out a way to be an entrepreneur, whether it's selling your yard for parking or setting up a trailer to cook hot dogs," Diesing said. "It's gotten a little bit out of control and unorganized. On some level, it's not as safe anymore."
Ideally, Diesing and Poppe said, they'd just as soon there were no beer gardens.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
