StarTribune.com

Keeping the drunks out of Camp Randall? No, seriously

Posted on September 21st, 2007 – 9:54 AM
By Michael Rand

0000000000000000000000000000000000001beerbong.jpgThis is going to hurt quite a bit, Badgers fans. But there’s a new sheriff in town, and it’s going to be a lot harder for you to get insanely drunk before heading into a Wisconsin football game from now on. Thanks to the new “Show and Blow” policy — a double-entendre for the ages, by the way — all students who have been ejected or cited for drinking at a Badgers game will have to blow a clean .000 before being allowed into Camp Randall. (Hat tip to Stu, who saw this in Sports by Brooks originally). From the Daily Cardinal out of Madison:

Badger football game days may be synonymous with tailgating, but a new “Show and Blow” program through the Offices of the Dean of Students may end some students’ early-morning drinking parties. The program, which will launch at Saturday night’s Big Ten opener against Iowa, requires students with a previous ejection or citation at a football game to blow into a Portable Breathalyzer Test before the game to prove their sobriety. “This will be for very specific students who at previous games pass through the police center [at Camp Randall], and if students were issued an underage alcohol citation, they would have to come and blow a .000,” said Kevin Helmkamp, an associate dean in the Office of the Dean of Students, who expects the PBTs to be administered at the student entrance. … UW Police Lt. Bill Larson said UWPD has planned for high numbers of citations this Saturday by asking other agencies for extra help. “That game will be busier just because it is a night game and people will be more intoxicated,” he said. He said police are able to issue citations based on behavior. “If somebody is stumbling up the stairs, they are vomiting on the concourse—those are the ones we end up citing,” Larson said.

We have a prediction on how this will go: not well. Does anyone else have a thought on the matter, which seems to have quite a bit of practical merit but could turn into one huge cluster[redacted] on Saturday night?

26 Responses to "Keeping the drunks out of Camp Randall? No, seriously"

Dave MN says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:01 am

Wisconsin can do this because they pack that stadium. If they tried this at the Dome, we’d lose half the student section. Seriously, even for the 11 am games, some of the students can’t even navigate the steps without assistance.

I’ll say that, as a relatively-sober and responsible fan, I would prefer not to sit next to some guy or girl who is too drunk to stand up. I want to enjoy the game, not wonder from minute to minute whether I’m going to be vomited on. I mean, it’s great that you’re drinking and having fun, but wouldn’t you enjoy yourself more at home on the bathroom floor at that point?

This isn’t a tee-totaler rant. I CAN HAZ BEER? Just an observation that there’s a difference in levels of drinking, and those fans who are wasted really take away from the game experience more than they add to it.

jpf says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:02 am

That sure is unfortunate…if you arent letting drunk rabblerousers into the game in wisconsin, Im sure they will end up with an empty stadium

Dave MN says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:05 am

jpf - well, they’d seal the deal if they said you couldn’t be fat either…

Dave MN says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:07 am

And, yes, I did just take the easiest and least creative route there…

Dave MN says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:08 am

In other Wisconsin news, we have a total lack of surprise:

http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2007/09/21/brett-favre-could-play-forever/

Stu says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:12 am

they would have to come and blow a .000

MJD:

“In a related story, 149 male Wisconsin students legally changed their name yesterday to ‘.000.’”

Perfect.

roughkat says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:24 am

Surprisinly, the IAFD has no listing for Show and Blow…Yet.

jpf says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:27 am

im thinking the topless ping-pong league has a minor league farm team plays in the Show and Blow league

Nathan says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:32 am

Why am I not surprised that the drunken Sconnies have a Philly-like jail in Camp Randall. Stupid Sconnies.

jama says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:35 am

Isn’t “Show and Blow” what Jenna Jamison’s profession use to be?

or

Isn’t “Show and Blow” what Ben Affleck does for all his movies?

bpar says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:36 am

The program, which will launch at Saturday night’s Big Ten opener against Iowa, requires students with a previous ejection or citation at a football game to blow into a Portable Breathalyzer Test before the game to prove their sobriety.

Out of the thousands of students who attend the game…how will they know which ones have had a previous citation?

jama says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:40 am

bpar

They look for the students with reject stamped on their heads! Either that or the people wearing Iowa gear.

Dave MN says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:44 am

Shouldn’t they just assume that every student at Wisconsin has been ejected at some point…or would have been had there been more people to do the ejecting?

Just simplify and breathalyze everyone. If I were holding the breathalyzer, I’d be wearing a shirt that read Don’t [redacted] with Mr. Zero

Stensation says:

September 21st, 2007 at 10:47 am

As someone who has, uh, first-hand knowledge of the comings and (sometimes unforced) goings at Camp Randall, I offer this: Good freekin luck!

UW students are known for finding ways around the system. I was never a student there (you have to be to even get into the concourse around the “Jump Around” sections), yet I snuck in numerous times via the help of my Badger brethren.

This, too, will have its holes … even if they are blow holes.

roughkat says:

September 21st, 2007 at 11:04 am

How did this get on the home page? It doesn’t even mention RV.

Over/under for comments on post 1099: 78.5

Toonces51 says:

September 21st, 2007 at 11:20 am

I don’t think VIKING UPDATE fans check the home page, and since Wisconsin fans can’t read…

I’ll take the under.

jama says:

September 21st, 2007 at 11:26 am

I hate waiting for moderation. It’s like waiting in line at the naked lady bar.

Jon says:

September 21st, 2007 at 11:48 am

Blowing a “zero,” a Wisconsin tradition for 45 years.

jpf says:

September 21st, 2007 at 11:56 am

well, living in wisconsin, I will just have to get a Vikings jersey with the number “0″ on it, so that I can help continue the great tradition. Not sure Im going to tell the missus why I went with that number though.

jama says:

September 21st, 2007 at 12:10 pm

“Show and Blow” is just too easy I better not go there anymore. Although it could be the slogan on the Randball T-shirts.

Ken the Star Tribune copy editor says:

September 21st, 2007 at 12:18 pm

The only time I ever went to a Camp Randall night game — this is the sixth in 12 years? — was the very first game of my freshman year of 1994, when they got deeeee-stroyed by Colorado 43-7. I was 100 percent sober — I actually wanted to watch the game, thinking that the defending Rose Bowl champs might actually be worth watching (and, of course, I was underage, and would never consider touching alcohol for another two-plus years *cough* *cough*) — but I am fairly confident I was in the minority in that category. I don’t remember anyone yacking or wizzing in the stairwells, but I actually think this is not a horrible idea. It probably won’t go over very well and is going to be damn near impossible to enforce, but at least UW officials aren’t just ignoring the fact that night games are a great place for utterly, utterly ploughed people to encounter thousands of other utterly, utterly ploughed people.

Super Rookie says:

September 21st, 2007 at 12:46 pm

I like this Ken guy.

RandBall says:

September 21st, 2007 at 2:00 pm

you guys scared everyone away …

Stu says:

September 21st, 2007 at 2:15 pm

I enjoy Ken the Copy Editor’s Olde English spelling of “ploughed.”

RandomThoughtsGuy says:

September 21st, 2007 at 2:45 pm

… so, let me get this straight: they think that some students who had a previous ejection (careful) will not start drinking with their friends at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday because they might not be able to get into the game at 7:00 p.m.?

Only a person above the age of 50 who still feels guilty about sneaking sips of communion wine as a teenager could have come up with this idea. “We’re not against underage binge drinking; we’re against repetitive underage binge drinking. When they’ve been out-of-hand. To our knowledge. And we catch them.”

SkipperG says:

October 1st, 2007 at 4:01 pm

I’m going to suggest that we institute this idea for Gopher games but I’m not sure anyone could stand to watch this team sober.