Why is it people seem to think beer and baseball go hand in hand?

Question

I work at a major league baseball stadium. Yesterday I saw a father bring his yound son to the game and the little guy was so excited. By the end of the 6th inning the father was so drunk he no longer cared that his little boy was even there. The little guy wanted something to drink and was told it was to expensive but yet he had enough money to buy one more beer. I always thought baseball was a family sport.

Answer 1

You're right about this father being a jerk.

But you're missing the history of baseball.
Baseball was not a game run by financiers and corporate criminals from the beginning. Several of the teams were owned by men who built businesses, and the beer business was one of these. Also, before the Prohibition era and after it, if you did not drink a soda at any ballgame beer was the other drink of choice--not any form of hard liquor.
And before stupid television tsars monopolized airtime, ballgames were played during the day and attended by
people who loved and enjoyed the game; it was a family sport since it was cheap enough so one could take the family along, unlike several others.

And when baseball games were first televised in the 1940s and 1950s, beer corporations were among the first and most loyal sponsors.

Every year on opening day, since I can't afford to attend a game, I have a beer to celebrate the return of the greatest game there is. Even if we have to let jerks into the ballpark too, it's still the most interesting and the best game.

Answer 2

Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Coors Field in Denver.
Miller Park in Milwaukee.

Beer is a part of baseball because of the munny involved. LOTS of munny.

I used to enjoy a beer -- one, maaaaaaybe two -- when at a game, but that was long ago. I hardly drink any alcohol these days, just my preference, but at the ballpark, it's at least $7 for a 20-minute rental. That's more than I consider a beer to be worth, particularly for the watery mass-brew brands (or even worse, "light" beers) that infest every ballpark in the land.

And yet, it's not at all unusual to see some people -- typically men -- swill bottle after bottle, pouring their money down a very specific drain. Ballparks and Mexican restaurants seem to be the only places where getting drunk in public is somehow acceptable.

I'm sorry to hear that you had, not merely a drunk, but a wretched excuse for a father to deal with. Consider calling security next time you witness such a sad thing happening.

Answer 3

This guy has his priorities of whack if he's getting drunk at a baseball game with his young son. I think there's a deeper issue running here, in this case baseball was just the backdrop in the story. Who was driving the kid home as others here have suggested?

Personally I don't like to consume alcohol at sporting event. I don't like the idea of having to pay about 7 bucks per beer just so that I'll eventually have to get up during the middle of the game to find a restroom and therefore miss some of the action on the field.

I'll only say that if you are going to drink in a sporting event, don't let alcohol rob you of a conscience decision to be responsible enough not to become an ignorant jerk, or worse.

Answer 4

Well, that isn't so much a problem with the beer, as it is a problem with a horrible parent. No parent should act like that.

Now, that being said, I think a beer or two at the game do go hand in hand. Hot dogs (you know BALLPARK franks) are a staple of the ball field, and nothing goes as good with a frank as a nice cold draft. So they are tied there. Baseball is also a summer sport. Having a beer outside, in the sun, on a beautiful day, while watching baseball, is a great way to relax and enjoy a day off.

Alcoholism and parenting don't go hand in hand.

Answer 5

Because they do.
Unless you have a small child with you, then stop after one or two. That's too bad for the kid, I hope Mom was coherent enough to drive home.
I absolutely love live baseball, but if the stadiums stopped selling beer, I would watch games at home or at a bar and grill.

Answer 6

I would be more worried about how the little kid got home than why people think beer and baseball go hand in hand. From your story, it sounds like that guy would have gotten schnockered whether he was at the ballgame or not. Beer can go well with baseball, as long as its in moderation.

Answer 7

I don't. Water and ice tea is fine with me.

This is why some baseball stadiums are considering not to sell alcohol at games.

Answer 8

Its just one of those things like St. Pattys day, Mardi Gras, and Cinco De mayo. Technically those things have nothing to do with alcohol (ok maybe mardi gras), but in modern times there is an automatic association if you find yourself a person that likes to partake in the drink.

Answer 9

Sad story, baseball can be slow and when you retard yourself with drugs it almost seams like you are not 50 MPH faster then the game.
perhaps this is why baseball players take amphedimines?

Answer 10

Because the stadiums sell it at a high price like everything else to make money.