Own the group chat with The Weekender, highlighting the biggest stories in college sports, standout writing from Eleven Warriors, and a glance at what’s next.
Michigan to Sell Alcohol in Michigan Stadium for Football Games
Eight years after alcohol sales became a thing in Ohio Stadium, the University of Michigan will begin to do the same in its stadium during football games, the university announced on Thursday.
Following successful rollouts of alcohol sales at the Wolverines' basketball and hockey arenas after they started alcohol sales at the Crisler Center and Yost Ice Center in February, the university voted to implement a liquor license for Michigan's football games starting with its home opener against Fresno State on Aug. 31.
According to the Associated Press, 55 of 69 Power Five conference schools (and Notre Dame) allowed alcohol sales in public areas of their football stadiums last season, including Michigan State, Kentucky and Stanford, who all began alcoholsales at their football stadiums in 2023.
One in Three Star College Athletes Receive Threats from Bettors
In a country where sports betting is more popular and more legal than ever, it has taken sports by storm. Whether it's athletes betting illegally, fans being more focused on their respective bet outcomes, or something else, it's likely that no one can watch a game (or even SportsCenter) for some time without hearing about the topic.
One of the worst parts about sports betting becoming so popular is that athletes now receive threats (and even death threats) if they don't have a good game, season, quarter or half.
The NCAA said on Friday that one in three high-profile athletes receive abusive messages from individuals due to a "betting interest." That, along with more than 540 college basketball players – both men and women – received similar messages, including death threats, during March Madness. Women's basketball players received around three times as many threats as men's players, according to the report.
"Individuals who harass athletes, amateur or professional, over a sports bet should not be tolerated," Joe Maloney, senior vice president of strategic communications for the American Gaming Association, told ESPN in a statement. "Importantly, the legal sports wagering market is providing the transparency critical to discuss solutions to reducing player harassment for the first time -- an opportunity illegal market actors do not provide. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with the NCAA, professional leagues, and other stakeholders on the universal shared goal of reducing athlete harassment."
Georgia Freshman Wide Receiver Sacovie White Arrested for Reckless Driving
At this point, it has to be part of the Bulldogs initiation process for their football team, right?
Freshman wide receiver Sacovie White was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with reckless and “one-way roadway" for driving the wrong way on a road before being stopped by Athens-Clark County Police, according to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald.
This certainly isn't the first time a Georgia player has gotten in trouble behind the wheel recently. Bulldogs players were arrested or cited for speeding or reckless driving over 14 times last year, including a Jan. 15, 2023 crash that killed offensive lineman Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. Speeding and alcohol played a role in that crash, police said.
Then, in March, new Georgia running back Trevor Ettienne was arrested for a DUI after he was traveling 80 to 90 miles per hour in a 50-mile-per-hour zone around 1:50 a.m. and twice crossed the double-yellow line to pass vehicles.
"As we also know, kids sometimes don't make the best decisions," Smart said of the incident involving Ettiene less than two months ago. "The older you get, sometimes the tougher the consequences are for your mistakes. So, he's not going to let this mistake define him. He's embarrassed. He's upset. He knows he made a mistake. It's a teaching moment, and we hope he gets better from it."
ICYMI
A Beautiful, Terrible Thing
Ramzy Nasrallah brings plenty of hype for the upcoming Ohio State football season.
Ryan Day Doesn’t Want Ohio State’s Quarterback Competition to Continue Into the Season Again, “But It's Going to Come Down to Playing the Best Players”
Day doesn’t want Ohio State’s quarterback competition to continue into the season again but isn’t putting a strict deadline on when he wants to name a starting quarterback.
Buckeye State-Based Talent Headlines Recruiting Targets for Ohio State Basketball in 2025
Ohio's top two prospects and two more elite talents originally from the Buckeye State headline Ohio State's targets in the 2025 recruiting class.
Up Next
- Baseball: Big Ten Tournament first round vs. Nebraska, Tuesday at 3 p.m. (BTN)
- Track and Field: NCAA East First Round, Wednesday-Saturday
- Men's Golf: NCAA Championship, Friday
- 104 Days: Ohio State football's season opener vs. Akron
- 195 Days: The Game
