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Alcohol consumption has long been associated with sports, at least at the college and pro levels, and sales of beer, wine and mixed drinks have been a dependable revenue stream.
But when news broke in August that more Americans are drinking less (in fact, a recent Gallup Poll showed alcohol consumption finds that drinking has hit a 90-year low), it became obvious a paradigm shift was underway.
Sports, meanwhile, is discovering its own changes. StockTitan notes that among the Formula 1® and UEFA Champions League fanbase, 25 percent are reducing their alcohol intake or choose non-alcoholic beverages.
Drilling down further, 56 percent of Formula 1® fans regularly choosing non-alcoholic options compared to 43 percent of the general population.
In mainstream sports stateside and right in the Midwest, in celebration of National Recovery Month, The Phoenix and Marquette Recovery hosted Milwaukee's "Largest Sober Tailgate" before a recent Brewers game against the Angels. The event was part of MKE Recovery Night at the Brewers and featured free food, non-alcoholic beverages, resource tables and games.
Wisconsin is leading the way for honoring sobriety in football as well; Lambeau Field has hosted Section Yellow, a designated sober seating area for fans in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction, since 2019. (Yellow is the official color of sobriety and members in the section have yellow balloons that they begin tossing around in the fourth quarter when alcohol is no longer being served, letting it be seen clearly that they are having a good time at the game.)
SBNation notes, “Initially other fans were a little patronizing, like, “good luck finding the one sober Packers fan here!” But it turns out that there are a whole lot more than one sober Packers fan. Today, the Section Yellow Facebook group has over 2,000 members.”
The effort has gained traction. The ARK Behavioral Health reports that the actions in Green Bay have inspired other NFL teams to create alcohol-free seating areas. These include the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. Ultimately, the NFL hopes to create sober sections in all stadiums, and possibly even the Super Bowl.
Awareness permeates the college level as well. In 2024, LSU began hosting its own alcohol-free tailgates. (Fun fact: Organizers wore shirts emblazoned with GEAUX RECOVERY.)
Other colleges hosting similar events this year include the University of Texas and University of Florida, while in the past, the University of Maryland, Ohio State and others also have hosted events for students in recovery or those in a category for which a name was recently coined: sober-curious.
And with the growing trend of those who want more non-alcoholic options, sports venues and events are rethinking their beverage offerings to provide not only more soft drinks and water but more extensive (and more expensive) menus of craft mocktails, non-alcoholic beers, alcohol-free wine, sparkling cider and other options. The industry that provides these beverages is growing rapidly as a result of the interest from sports fans, says this report.
Some sports events and venues have forged partnerships with brands; Major League Fishing named Athletic Brewing Company the official non-alcoholic beer for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. All the way back in 2022, Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling began a partnership with Sharks Sports & Entertainment (SSE), naming them the official non-alcoholic beverage partner of the San Jose Sharks and San Jose Barracuda.
Additionally, sober (or sober-curious) sports enthusiasts can leverage technology to help them find what they need. SoberFan is a site that lists stadiums, arenas, ballparks and other areas. The NA Beer Finder is a mobile app and online resource that helps users locate bars, restaurants, and stores serving non-alcoholic (NA) beers and other drinks, featuring over a million locations and thousands of brands worldwide.
Of course, there is one destination where you won’t find alcohol and it’s hosting the second biggest sports event in the world: The 2034 FIFA World Cup – which will be in Saudi Arabia.
The BBC reported that in an interview on LBC, Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud said alcohol would not be sold anywhere during the tournament, including hotels.
"Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol - it's not 100 percent necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you're welcome to, but at the moment we don't have alcohol."
Asked whether that meant fans would be able to drink once they returned their hotels, as was the case at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he added: "No, there is no alcohol at all. Rather like our weather, it's a dry country.”
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