Alcohol-related problems and enforcement at professional sports stadiums

Aims: To assess types and levels of alcohol enforcement and alcohol-related problems at professional sports stadiums. Methods: We conducted a telephone survey in 2005-2006 of state alcohol beverage control and local police agencies in each of the cities and states in the USA that have a professional sports stadium (n = 98). Questions pertained to enforcement actions conducted at stadiums and complaints received about incidents at stadiums that are likely or certainly alcohol-related (e.g. fights, intoxicated patrons, property damage). Findings: We found that underage alcohol compliance checks were the most common type of enforcement but just over 50% of agencies conducted these. The most common types of complaints received by local law enforcement agencies were fights occurring either inside or outside the stadium, with 74-80% of agencies receiving these types of complaints. Among state agencies, 65% received complaints about intoxicated patrons. Conclusions: Given the high profile of alcohol-related violent incidents at professional sports stadiums in recent years along with recent scientific evidence that enforcement of alcohol-related policies is both needed and effective, our results showing high rates of alcohol-related problems and fairly low levels of enforcement at stadiums are particularly timely and point to need for further interventions and research.