The annual Georgia-Florida rivalry game was referred to for decades as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. While that nickname is no longer used (officially, at least), school officials on both sides could be set to open up the taps for the game in Jacksonville and add a few more cocktails to the cocktail party.
“It’s like any other neutral site game, as far as the same deal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium — schools could sell alcohol at professional stadiums,” Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, confirming talks with Florida will commence about sales soon. “So if we wanted to implement we could. It would be something we’d have to agree upon.”
While both programs could have allowed sales of alcohol at what is now known as TIAA Bank Field, the impetus for the potential change has been the recent rule tweak from the SEC allowing expanded beer and wine sales in general seating areas at league venues. Though the talk has mostly been centered on exploring changes to schools’ individual home stadiums following the decision, it seems to be a natural jumping off point for the Gators and Bulldogs to look into changes at their annual neutral site game.
It not quite known what negotiations would look like with the city of Jacksonville, the stadium authority or other vested parties if both programs wanted to go forward with alcohol sales in general seating areas (the current contract runs through 2021) but we’re guessing there may be an added financial component that could help drive this potential expansion to completion -- music to some blue- or red-clad fans ears.
The 2019 edition of the Georgia-Florida game is already shaping up to be a huge battle with big division, conference and national implications even before this bit of news trickled out and we’re sure a few folks are already toasting to the possibilities of added fun during the annual WLOCP.
