AMES — In the two years that JaMarcus Bradley-Norman has been a student at Iowa State, he has enjoyed the atmosphere of Saturdays at Jack Trice Stadium. Fans come together, enjoy each other’s company and embrace the culture of Iowa State Football.
In his second year at Iowa State, Bradley-Norman has stepped back from attending football games in what was “once a safe and friendly atmosphere.” As Matt Campbell’s team continues to dominate, the presence of contraband inside the stadium amongst fans is rapidly increasing.
During Iowa State’s game against UCF on Oct. 19, the Iowa State University Police Department arrested 8 individuals for public intoxication, issued 16 citations for underage possession of alcohol and ejected 24 attendees, according to the department’s gameday summary. In Iowa State’s three other home games this season, ISUPD arrested 6 individuals for public intoxication combined.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard released a statement regarding the countless number of bottles thrown during the game against UCF at Jack Trice Stadium on Oct. 19. Pollard’s team called for students to police themselves and to discourage erratic behaviors.
“Our student section plays a significant role in our football team’s ability to score touchdowns,” the statement read. “Recently, students have thrown water bottles and other projectiles during the game, and several of our own fans, including children, have been hit. We must work together to immediately stop this before someone is seriously injured.”
Beyond Pollard’s statement, the university athletic department declined to comment further. Students continue to file complaints and call for reprimand, to no avail.
Bradley-Norman is not the only student who has reportedly experienced the behavior. Other students have not only been hit with objects but have dealt with erratic fan behavior related to underage alcohol consumption.
The presence of alcohol at university sporting events is not the only issue at hand, but rather the conduct of those who partake in the actions illegally. A vast majority of attendees are under the age of 21, raising red flags with ISUPD.
Proposals have been made by students both to sell alcohol inside the stadium and to increase security protocols to discourage illegal behaviors, but little action has been taken in recent years to overcome the obstacles.
“I think they should just sell it inside the stadium,” freshman Kalob Kroeger said. “Would the atmosphere get more rowdy? Yes, but at the same time, they have a way to monitor how much is being sold and who it is being sold to.”
Increased security measures are something that has been mentioned by students in the past. Proposals were made in 2021 and 2022 to increase security outside of the stadium but went unrecognized by the university.
“I think that it would be useful for there to be some way to track alcohol at games,” Bradley-Norman said. “I don’t know how to do it, and I don’t want to take away from the fun, but there needs to be some kind of system in place. There’s just no place for that kind of behavior.”
