I am pretty fascinated with the idea of “All You Can Eat” sections at professional sporting events in the US.  I add “in the US” because it certainly seems oh-so-American to watch a game and indulge in as many nachos, dogs and popcorn as possible.  It seems to give the 7^th inning stretch a whole new resonance.   

In an article on the topic from one of the writers at Inside Hockey, I enjoyed learning more about another aspect of the history of all you can eat sports:

“One of the things you won’t see in any of these ‘All You Can Eat’ sections is alcohol. Not just because arenas understand that selling watered down Budweiser for seven bucks is consumer fraud at its finest, but because sports has already taken dangerous drive down the road of inebriation before.

 

The most dubious example came in 1974 when the Cleveland Indians decided to hold a ten-cent beer night, a game which ended with riot police on the field and an Indians forfeit. When the team decided to continue the idea later in the season, they put a limit on how many beers could be purchased, four per person. And when American League president Lee McPhail was asked about it, he said, “There was no question that beer played a part in the riot.””

 

Full article: Eating a Way of Luxury | INSIDE HOCKEY | Atlanta Thrashers