Judging from the emails I’ve received and the comments I’ve seen splashed across the Intertubes, I gather plenty of you have heard the news already about the latest policy change to affect game attendance at Sanford Stadium.
Beginning with the G-Day spring football game, Georgia will implement the SEC’s clear bag policy for athletic events on campus.
The policy will be in effect for all ticketed events beginning in the 2017-18 athletic calendar year.
Bags or purses carrying personal belongings must be clear if patrons are to enter into ticketed events hosted by Sanford Stadium, Stegeman Coliseum or Foley Field. The SEC cites public safety and security measures for the league policy.
Hey, you know if there were valid reasons to criticize Butts-Mehre for enacting fan unfriendly rules, I’d be right there with them, but as Butt indicates in his article, that would be pointing the finger at the wrong Greg. The culprit would be this guy.
In the interest of enhancing existing security measures at games involving Southeastern Conference schools, the SEC will implement a new security policy regulating the size and type of bag that may be carried into all stadiums in which SEC schools host games, beginning with the 2017 football season, it was announced Wednesday.
Although the new conference-wide bag policy will be in effect beginning with the 2017 football season, a number of SEC institutions implemented the policy during the 2016 football season. The policy was approved by a unanimous vote of the league’s athletics directors.
“SEC football stadiums are among the largest venues in the world of sports, so safety and security are issues that must always remain a priority for our events,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “We believe this policy is an important enhancement to the security measures already put in place by our institutions.”
Fans are encouraged not to bring any types of bags inside SEC stadiums during football games…
That’s nice. Although with all this talk about enhancing security measures and prioritizing safety, I can’t help but wonder what ol’ Greggy thinks about what just came down in the great state of Arkansas — literally on the same day as his shiny new policy.
Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has signed a bill regarding a person’s ability to carry a concealed handgun into various buildings at a public university or college into state law. However, House Bill 1249 will not allow all legal gun owners to carry a gun to a football game in the state of Arkansas.
Football games will be considered a “sensitive area,” which require enhanced training in order to be allowed to carry a gun into a football stadium. The law supposedly trumps any provisions already in place to prevent guns from being allowed on the premises.
“The enhanced level of training is very important, and I am convinced the public will be more safe,” Governor Hutchinson said. “This bill, in my view, reflects the view of the general assembly.”
Shit, I feel safer already. I can’t wait to find out about what kind of enhanced training you can get to learn how to pack heat responsibly in a crowded, emotional, alcohol-laden environment. (Do you have to carry your gun in a clear plastic bag?) I mean, imagine how much more sensibly a moment like this would have evolved with a gun or two in its midst.
That’s a relief. We’ve been plagued with so many of those rascals at college football games lately.
Back on earth, you have to wonder how this is going to sit with Sankey. He may be getting handed his very own bathroom bill problem.
The University of Arkansas, nor the SEC or NCAA, have yet to comment on the law. One source closely connected to the bidding for SEC and NCAA championship events told GN the law will be “a popular topic at the SEC spring meetings” scheduled for late May in Destin, Florida.
Presently, neither the SEC nor NCAA expressly prohibits games from being played at venues where the carrying of concealed weapons is allowed, though it also hadn’t needed to be addressed previously because of laws against it.
According to NCAA’s site selection process policy guide in effect from 2018-19 until 2012-22, however, it seems possible that the law could create an issue.
“The NCAA expects all hosts to have policies in place for crowd control, fan conduct, safety of all participants, and other appropriate guidelines that support the NCAA’s position on sportsmanship and its commitment to operating the finest athletics events in the world,” the document reads. “Each host will be required to submit a safety and security plan upon the awarding of an NCAA championship.”
I sense this is going to work out well. In the meantime, leave those nice Georgia bags you’ve been using for years at home, peeps. It’s for the greater good.
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UPDATE: Oh, well.
Get The Picture 
Alcohol, guns and high emotions. What could possibly go wrong? Don’t get me wrong, I have a concealed carry permit myself, but damn. I don’t want to be at a game with drunks with guns.
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First, they came for our bottlecaps. Now, they are coming for our bags. Next, it will be our belts and shoelaces, because one more years sprinkled with performances like Nicholls St, Vandy, and Tech will probably result in some self-harm. Clearly, the rabble like us can’t be trusted with anything dangerous. Unless you have a skybox, in which case you and your patrician buddies can keep drankin’, and probably even keep your shoelaces.
Nothing enhances the “first day of prison” experience quite like the crack gatekeeping troops taking all your stuff away after a search.
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The large bag restriction has been in place in Sanford for a couple of years now. I think the clear bag is the new change. Are they going to start using clear bags on game days at the bookstore?
The question will be when will the Department of Homeland Security come up with an SSA – Stadium Security Administration – and an SSAPre program for special events.
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The Toilet Security Administration will not be far behind.
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Not to scare anybody or give any ideas, but I’m far more concerned about a bombing or shooting on the bridge as everyone is entering the stadium. Not much the cops can do other than shoot the guy sooner rather than later
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Gotta say I’m not at all concerned with terrorist attacks anywhere in this country. I refuse to live in fear.
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Last year I went to see Miami manhandle Tech at Mark Richt Field.
I was sitting in very good Tech season ticket seats behind the home bench and I noticed everyone had brought in their own food and beverage in clear plastic bags with a GT on them- so I inquired.
The clear bags were provided to season ticket holders and they can bring in anything inside the clear bags. I saw several families having quite the pregame picnic brought from home.
Oh, and It was fun watching GT lose to Mark Richt.
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If you could bring beer in a clear plastic bag, that would be a more than fair trade off. 😉
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For a team that sells out a game or two a year, I can see the need for them to be very liberal with policies such as this.
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No, no, no, no, no…we’re NOT doing that. End of story.
We put up with a lot of crap from you people but we’re not dealing with this. It’s hard enough to keep that stadium clean as it is.
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Does anyone have a list of the last time there was a shooting or terrorist attack at a college football game? Seems like I could find a good list somewhere ….
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Kind of like nobody can find a good list of foreign born Muslims shooting up our country…
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Shockingly easy to turn up a list of crazy white guys that are shooting up our country though.
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Or anyone born here for that matter…doesn’t have to be white.
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Yep – I’m far more likely to be involved in a mass rampage perpetrated by an American citizen, but why should facts and empirical data be utilized when it’s far easier to prey on people’s fears?
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Preying on people’s fears is a timeless item pulled from ye ole’ political toolbox. Unfortunately, empirical data does little to stymie its effectiveness.
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I’m sure you are aware of the high target value of sports venues to terrorists. The France Assault Rifle terrorist attack last year ended at a full soccer stadium, which they failed to enter, thank Aloha Snackbar.
Your line of reasoning is very dangerous in the age of radical Islamic terrorism.
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Not really … I have been living in the age of radical Islamic terrorism for virtually my entire life. You seem to think that radical Islamic terrorism started in 2008 or possibly 2001. This list has it starting in 1979 … but one could argue that it was at minimum 7 years before that at the Munich Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Islamist_terrorist_attacks
Most have been on foreign soil and very few attacks have involved ticketed sporting events. Also, if you are going to allow concealed weapons into the stadium how can you determine a carrier intent prior to entering the arena?
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Don’t worry. It’s still illegal to carry a gun into a UGA football. That means we’re safe from terrorist attack. Even terrorists don’t want to break the law.
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I’ve been going to home games for 35+ years without worry, so it must be working.
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It seems to be working thankfully
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I was completely shocked, as my family entered through the unguarded (by security) gates for the pre-game festivities at the Capitol One bowl in 13, passing only the half dozen event workers scanning tickets. No metal detectors, no armed security, nothing. As we meandered around the vendors and concert crowds, we decided to get to our seats about an hour and a half before kickoff, and as we made our way around the perimeter, we we greeted with Uga and his handlers making their way inside, also, which was a great experience for us. We made it to the stadium entrance, showed our tickets (again, no wand) and made our way up the stairs to our seats. We were sitting down, admiring the advertising for “new Google fiber, 75 mbps downloads!” and playing with our inflatable noise things (still have a few of them put up), and I actually made the comment to my Dad, who has since passed, that had we wanted to, we could’ve brought half the guns I own inside with us, and nobody would’ve noticed. As a Father myself (my son was 2, didn’t make the trip), that was pretty scary for me to realize. As a law-abiding citizen, I left my conceal carry in the car, assuming normal security protocols, but there were absolutely zero checks in place to make sure that anyone with less regard to the law and the sanctity of human life lefts their’s as well. We were sitting ducks, and as a husband (my wife made the trip) that did not sit well with me. I’m all for less government, anti-police state, etc, but the powers that decide these things need to either 1) provide for us adequate security for ANY type of threat of attack the event may come under, or 2) allow us responsible citizens (I’d be the sober one, as I do not drink) to protect ourselves and our loved ones adequately, if the need arises.
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Yeah. That’s almost as stupid an idea as some terrorists flying planes into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. Wait..what?
I’m not suggesting we all go into the fetal position, or that the bag rule is a good idea. But the whole “It’s never happened before, so it will never happen” isn’t exactly airtight reasoning, either.
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So everyone should come to a game armed because even though terrorists rarely have attacked ticketed sporting events in this country, it could happen?
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He’s got a good point. I wear a tin foil hat to keep people from using microwaves to steal my brainwaves because it could happen.
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You know there is a version of Bama Mom on Youtube with 7 Nation Army as background music. I can’t understand why you didn’t use that one instead. 😉
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I like the wrecking ball version of that video, personally.
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IF the fans will tolerate it, they will continue the crackdown.
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I saw the email about this and was honestly surprised not to find a link to purchase UGA branded clear bags in the various sizes shown.
McGarity is slipping in his quest for the most $.
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Give the man time!
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You stole my thunder on this….I would imagine that if the ticket renewal came out today, you would see a special $15 bag you can purchase with your tickets and added onto your purchase…and then the Bookstore would charge $20 on game day. I’m surprised NO ONE on this thread has mentioned the obvious tailgate adjustments needed to replace the airplane bottles smuggled in your wife’s purse. A clear bag makes brown liquor pretty visible- be it a baggie or whatever. I cannot help but recall a time when I watched my father carry in a HANDLE of Cutty Sark into every home game. Guess those days are behind us.
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Until they require me to wear transparent/clear socks, my airplane bottles will continue to make the trip inside Sanford … 😉
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Hell the people sitting in front of us (not the usual folks, they sold/gave their tickets to someone else) brought in a handle of bourbon to the tech game last year. Of course the idiots just kept passing it around turning it up for everyone to see so they didn’t last long…… they never did tell me how they got it in….
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All politicians need to quit making laws. Seriously, we’ve long ago passed the point of no return with the law. Take a few thousand away and just use some common sense and have rules. Nothing wrong with a place having rules like “no guns allowed, carrying bags must be clear”. Does it need to be law? There should be a good faith law written that prohibits the constitution from being interpreted any more. It is what it is.
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The Catholic Church tried that with something called “The Bible.” Or sure it had the intended result.
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How do you think this is going to affect the refs at Fayetteville. A close game and there is a close call. I wonder which team is going to benefit.
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[HIPSTER]
I was bringing in clear plastic bags way before the stadium required it.
[/HIPSTER]
Of course, they were stuffed in my crotch or boots and had bourbon in them.
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Done that many times. If you do it right they won’t feel it even if they pat you down. I haven’t brought a bottle in the stadium in 40 years.
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as an old white guy bringing in bottles into Samford is my version of “riding dirty”. I’m going to wear clear plastic pants sometime in the next season.(protest ain’t pretty)
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I bought one for the game against NC last year but it is frustrating that this mostly affects female fans. There are some things a women carries in her purse that she would rather not have visible to everyone else. Of course you can put them in little zipper bags but then would require a longer time to examine the bags.
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