On the request of Georgia President Michael Adams and Florida President Bernie Machen, the television crews that cover this Saturday’s Florida-Georgia game cannot refer to the contest as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” While the reference to the game has been around for decades, the two presidents are concerned about the two schools “promoting” binge drinking among the student body.
Guess what? It’s going to happen anyway fellas.
Now, I understand why the two presidents have come out and made such a request. In the past two years, two students have been killed at the gathering. In 2004, one student fell off a parking garage while in 2005 another was beaten to death after wondering away from his group of friends. If you’re a president of a school, it doesn’t bode well if you’re supporting more students cracking open adult beverages in the wake of two deaths.
However, a phrase uttered by a television host isn’t going to change the behavior of the students. Chris Fowler muttering “Cocktail Party”, on ESPN College GameDay isn’t going to influence anybody one way or another. And the fact of the matter is, there are thousands of college campuses around the US that are housing the same kind of tailgating activities.
Unfortunately, things happen. But things are going to happen whether a game is referred to as “The Largest Cocktail Party” or the “The Safest Party in America.”
