Nebraska Cornhuskers expected to adopt alcohol sales at PBA, Haymarket Park

Lights illuminate the mats before the finals at 125 pounds during the third session of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Lights illuminate the mats before the finals at 125 pounds during the third session of the Big Ten Wrestling Championships, Sunday, March 6, 2022, at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska. /
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The leadership behind the Nebraska Cornhuskers is set to take the final step to allow Husker fans to drink alcohol during home games. At least for the Nebraska basketball and baseball teams. The change will take place just nine days from now.

Josh Peterson of 1620 The Zone, an Omaha sports talk radio station appears to be the first to break the news. Peterson took to Twitter saying that sources had informed him the move to allow alcohol sales at Pinnacle Bank Arena and Haymarket Park was going to be official at the end of this month.

For those who don’t know, Pinnacle Bank Arena (PBA) is the in-season home of the Nebraska basketball team. Haymarket Park is where the Nebraska baseball team plays its home games. Both venues were long ago approved to sell alcohol at any event that didn’t have anything to do with the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

One notable exception from the Board of Regents meeting that’s taking place next Friday is any approval at all of alcohol sales at Memorial Stadium. Former Husker head coach Tom Osborne has been a staunch opponent of beer sales at football home games and it appears for now that the BOR is continuing to honor his wishes.

If and when alcohol sales becomes official at Nebraska Cornhuskers events for the basketball and baseball team, it will be another massive step forward in a process that really got moving this winter.

Back in February, the regents formally removed the longtime ban on booze sales at all Husker venues. They also made it possible to serve alcohol at the PBA for the March Big Ten wrestling championships.

At the time, it was pointed out that about half of the schools in major conferences allow drinking at their athletic events. More than half of the Big Ten teams do the same.

Now the Nebraska Cornhuskers leadership is starting to move forward on something that’s seemed inevitable for quite a while. The September 30 decision will almost certainly allow for alcohol sales this coming Nebrasketball season.