Michigan State AD says school isn't planning to sell alcohol at football games

The decision is not in Bill Beekman’s hands. But the new Michigan State athletic director sees what is going on around the Big Ten.

Rutgers, Illinois and Indiana all announced this year that they plan to sell beer and wine at football games. That makes seven of the 14 conference schools to do so.

MSU is not planning to do that, in part Beekman said because state law prohibits alcohol sales at Spartan Stadium and Michigan Stadium during college sporting events.

MSU sells beer and alcohol to donors in its suites, but it can do so because that tower on the west side of the stadium is not physically attached to Spartan Stadium.

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“We do sell it in the suites and to a limited number of folks. I think more and more of the conference is going there,” Beekman said Tuesday at the Big Ten athletic director meetings in Rosemont, Illinois. “It’s becoming more common. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen in some venue at some point. I’m not sure our starting point would be football.”

State lawmakers told the Lansing State Journal in 2017 that a change in the law would be necessary for MSU to consider selling alcohol. Special provisions were approved for Michigan Stadium to sell beer when it hosted professional soccer or hockey games.

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And if those laws were to change, the final decision to sell alcohol would come outside of MSU’s athletic department and with a new incoming president and the Board of Trustees.

“So at this point, it’s against state law to do it,” said Beekman, who previously served as university vice president and the Board of Trustees’ secretary before a brief stint as acting president. “I don’t see us advocating for a change in that.”

Free Press reporter Orion Sang contributed to this story.Contact Chris Solari at csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.