The survey results provided added motivation.

“It was amazing: By a wide margin, the No. 1 amenity that would make more people want to attend the game or use their tickets was having beer sold at games,” Kaufmann said. “It was more than WiFi. It was more than video board entertainment or concessions.”

Illinois isn’t unique in having ticket-holders choose to stay out in the parking lots to tailgate instead of going into the stadium. By offering beer for sale inside the gates, Kaufmann said the school is hoping to provide one less excuse for those fans not to come in.

“If we’re losing games, we understand that’s an issue,” he said. “But we’ve got a lot of people who have tickets who are out in the parking lots. And we’ve got a lot of people who maybe will leave a game after halftime, and we may need them in the game as we start playing better. So we want them to stay longer. That’s the No. 1 reason we’re doing it.”

In Madison, the chancellor’s decision has been the last word on the issue.