- WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) — If you're a minor or
already drunk, many vendors in American sports stadiums will still gladly
sell you a beer or other alcoholic beverage.

That's the finding from a new study that suggests stadiums aren't doing
enough to keep booze away from those who shouldn't drink.

People who clearly appeared underage were able to buy alcohol 18
percent of the time at 16 professional sport stadiums in five states, and
actors who seemed to be drunk were able to make purchases nearly
three-fourths of the time.

“Professional sports stadiums are another place where there's a great
likelihood of illegal alcohol sales,” said study author Traci Toomey, an
associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public
Health. “We know that we have problems with fans drinking too much and
contributing to problems in and around stadiums. We need to make sure we
prevent these illegal sales from occurring.”

The study authors launched the study in the wake of previous research
into illegal alcohol sales and media reports about alcohol-related
incidents at stadiums.

The researchers recruited two men and five men who were older than 21
but were judged by a panel to appear between 18 and 20. The study authors
also hired four actors — two women, two men — to act as if they were
drunk.

From September 2005 to November 2006, the study participants visited
stadiums in five states and tried to buy alcohol. Selling alcohol to
minors is illegal, and it's against the law in some places to sell alcohol
to people who are already intoxicated.

The study authors don't identify the stadiums, mainly to prevent word
spreading on where it's easiest to illegally buy alcohol. However, they
said the stadiums housed professional hockey, basketball, baseball and
football teams.

The findings appear in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical
& Experimental Research.

Vendors who worked in the stands were almost three times more likely to
sell booze to the participants as vendors in concession booths, the team
found.

“I would imagine these vendors are under quite a bit of pressure,
trying to not block the views of others, trying to pay attention,” Toomey
said of alcohol sellers who work in the stands. “They don't have the time
or proximity [to buyers] to make observations necessary to avoid making an
illegal sale.”

The study authors suggested that stadiums consider banning the sale of
alcohol in the stands. Some stadiums have already done so, according to
the researchers.

Henry Wechsler, a longtime researcher at Harvard School of Public
Health who studies alcohol use, agreed that stadiums should reconsider
selling alcohol in the stands.

“You just have to attend a sports event to see that some fans drink too
much and spoil the event for others through loud, disruptive and drunken
behavior,” he said. “Limiting serving to the booths could make drinkers
walk and stand on line between drinks, cutting down the number they
consume.”

More information

Find out more on problem drinking at the U.S.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.