AJC > Sports > Columnists > Archives > 2006 > May > 17 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USAdams correct about ‘Cocktail Party’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mark Bradley
Michael Adams has it right. (Yes, Michael Adams.) No self-respecting institution of higher learning should be part of a signature event billed, even unofficially, as The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. There was a time when colleges winked at alcohol and its effects, but that was before binge drinking became a societal concern, before colleges finally admitted they bear some responsibility for the actions of their students (and alumni).
The trouble with trying to proscribe TV networks from referring to Georgia-Florida as The World’s Largest You-Know-What is that, at this late date, it’s impossible to put the genie (to say nothing of the whiskey) back in the bottle. Even if TV goes along, Georgia-Florida will forever be known for alcoholic intake as much as for anything that happens in Alltel Stadium. Adams has it right, but he’s 40 or 50 years too late.
Greg McGarity graduated from Georgia in 1976 and has worked in both athletics departments. (Today he’s the senior associate AD for internal affairs at Florida.) Having seen Georgia-Florida from both sides, there was a time when he saw the annual game as scary. “Before [Jacksonville] became an NFL city, it was a matter of concern among game management,” he says. “You had an antiquated stadium … amateurs running a big-time event… . At that time, there was always the feeling it could get kind of ugly, and a couple of times it did with the field-rushing [in 1984 and 1985].
“But since then it’s taken a 180-degree turn, and the events of the last two years [one Florida student died in 2004, another in 2005] happened off-site. They happened downtown, where you get people who don’t usually go to the game. There’s always that element that comes in because they know there’s a party atmosphere.”
And how could anyone not know? When a game is advertised as The World’s Largest Et Cetera, we shouldn’t be surprised when those gathered bear little resemblance to the attendees at a quilting bee. And there is, as we know, the unmistakable belief that a college football game at any venue carries with it the license to guzzle.
That’s the mindset that Georgia and Florida and schools everywhere are trying to override — Adams speaks of changing the culture — but can any school alter something so ingrained? Says McGarity: “I know Georgia has changed its on-campus tailgating policy, and our on-campus enforcement has gotten stricter about the open-container law. Really, all we’re asking is that you conduct yourself in a proper manner. … As I get older, it’s important to me that I can go to a game and know I won’t be injured or cursed at or have a drink spilled on [me].”
Largely because of the death of the two students, Florida AD Jeremy Foley wrote to SEC commissioner Mike Slive in January making the request that Adams has made public — have the TV networks knock off that Cocktail Party jazz. But how much has Adams’ school contributed to the notion that what happens in Jax stays in Jax?
Since 2000, UGA has scheduled its fall break for the Thursday and Friday before Georgia-Florida. (Florida offers students no such pregame holiday.) When the game was moved to the respective campuses in 1994 and 1995 due to stadium renovation, Georgia fans were clearly the more disappointed. This is their annual autumn getaway — to play golf at St. Simon’s, to bark along The Landing, perhaps to sip an outdoor (or indoor) cocktail.
Says McGarity: “The Florida people are more likely to go in and out [the day of the game]. But there’s a special feeling to [the trip] on the Georgia side.”
Adams, who has gotten much wrong, has this one right. If he’s serious about curbing on-campus drinking, he cannot in good conscience turn a blind eye to the excesses inherent in the Georgia fan’s favorite road trip. But the networks will be the easy sell. Trying to convince Joe/Jane Bulldog that Jacksonville, Fla., isn’t simply The World’s Largest Watering Hole will be more difficult by far.
Permalink | Comments (37) | Categories: Mark Bradley, UGA / SEC
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By Bryan G.
May 17, 2006 07:26 PM | Link to this
This is just another example of Adams’s grandstanding. He’s a freaking moron. If it weren’t for the fact that he has pictures of all the Regents naked with prostitutes, Adams would have been out of a job years ago.
The game will always be the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party no matter what Adams says. Everytime Adams opens his mouth, I am reminded that a village somewhere is missing its idiot.
By Drew
May 17, 2006 07:32 PM | Link to this
How about trying to ban hazing for real before you worry about banning a harmless nickname? seems to me that would have more of a positive effect on campus culture.
By GW
May 17, 2006 08:17 PM | Link to this
This is posturing by Adams. He’s setting up leverage for UGA when the current deal with J’ville expires in 2010. He can hold the threat of moving the game over the heads of the fans and the city. He knows most UGA fans wants the game to stay in J’ville. He wants to keep that bad college publicity in Durham.
By AltamahaDawg
May 17, 2006 09:17 PM | Link to this
Adams is saying exactly what I would pay the president of the flagship university of this state to say. Brilliant move IMO. Come on guys, its a clever moniker rarely used but by us old timers and we are going to buy up tee shirts with that on it like crazy this year. I think he actually revived the “old girl”. Policies and tradition are not the same thing. It’s no attack on grown men drinking alchohol. Its an attack on saying, we officially want to be Drunk U while trying to drag this institution into the 21st century.
2 words…….Winston Cup
(now if you realy want to kill the good times, drag that game up that sterile Dome)
And when will you guys get over this obsession over Adams. Its sooooooooooooooo tired. He is simply the paid bad guy, with the ego, to do some of the things the Board has wanted (some needed) to do for a while. And in a few years things will cool with a new, less offensive figure, in that office.
By What's next, our AK-47s?
May 18, 2006 01:38 AM | Link to this
Settle down, Dawg fans. Nobody’s coming to take your case of Natural Light away, and nobody’s “banning” any nicknames. Your outrage over this is as ridiculous as it was when you whined and griped about the fact that you’d no longer be allowed to park your pickup trucks on the campus lawns and sidewalks on football weekends. How dare he?!? Adams is 100% correct in saying that the environment in Jax and the national perception of the game is embarrassing to BOTH schools, not just UGA. He’s just asking CBS to stop portraying the game as nothing but a weekend of non-stop partying by a bunch of drunk rednecks (even though that’s exactly what it is). Get mad about something that matters, like a crooked government and $70 oil. This is irrelevant.
By Rudy's Back
May 18, 2006 01:56 AM | Link to this
Who cares?? Both these so called schools of higher learning will be totally eliminated from the BCS Champioship by mid Oct. anyway!! They’re both academic jokes and football bridsmaids anyway. Go Irish!! See you in the Fiesta Bowl!!
By Doug
May 18, 2006 07:22 AM | Link to this
Would this be the same Michael Adams who forced Dooley to fire Donnan in 2000 which resulted in hiring Mark Richt. Or the same one the Rednecks said Richt wouldn’t work for just before he signed his long term contract AFTER Dooley was gone. Or the one who the Rednecks said would cause donations to the Athletic Dept to dry up and now the Dawgs have the most profitable Athletic Dept in the country. Never try to separate a redneck from his beer!
By Rod
May 18, 2006 07:28 AM | Link to this
I see most of the posts are from a bunch of drunken losers. Times have changed people, more and more people die from drunk driving, alcohol poisoning and liver disease.
If your life is so miserable that the only fun you can have is by getting drunk - then you’re already a pretty pathetic excuse of a person.
Time to shed the image and convey to students that drinking until you’re sh— faced isn’t cool. It’s just stupid.
By Mark
May 18, 2006 07:35 AM | Link to this
I have no problems playing the GA/Fla game at neutral site but Jax is hardly neutral and the ONLY enjoyment for GA fans for the past 15 years is the golf and the drinking. Why must GA fans pump money into the Jax economy every year and watch our Dawgs lose. How about a compromise: one year at the dome and one year at Jax. We can still split the tickets 50/50 but when we lose to Fla in the dome we can drive 30 minutes home to Roswell instead of flying or driving back from Jax. Get the game out of Jax!!!!!!!!
By Gregj
May 18, 2006 07:58 AM | Link to this
I think the game should go home and away,Take it back to the schools.GO DAWGS!!!!
By northwestDawg
May 18, 2006 08:24 AM | Link to this
The game should stay in J’ville and both schools should work on the alcohol problem that exsists everywhere. We know that Ga. is laying the ground work for the game to be moved after’010. I would truly like for someone to explain something to me. Ga. say that the game is crowding the schedule and making it hard to set big time national games in Athens. The Bug game when it’s played in Atlanta is considered an away game. If the Ga/Fl game is also played in Atlanta every other year how can it NOT be an away game so aren’t we still in the same spot as if the game were still in J’ville? Wouldn’t it have to be played in Athens every other yr. One last question to Jeremey Foley. You were way ahead of Adams when you wrote the letter to the Commissioner about the name game. Did Adams contact you about a joint statement from both schools or did he find out about the letter and just went public to get the glory for himself as being the “White Horse” guy. Mark, you’re the reporter, if you ever read your blog responces(sp?) would you find out if what I’m thinking is right or not?
By GW
May 18, 2006 08:32 AM | Link to this
Mark, You have a typical metro Atlanta mentality. All Dog fans don’t live in Roswell. Some actually live in south Georgia, Macon, Augusta, even Jacksonville. If it is too much trouble or costs to much for you to go to Jacksonville, just stay home and watch on TV. The game will always be played where BOTH schools can make the most money regardless of the drinking or who wins and looses. I’d still rather play in J’ville with 40,000 tickets than the Dome with 36,000 or Gainesville with 10,000. This drinking problem is way overplayed.
By The Real Doug
May 18, 2006 08:36 AM | Link to this
Mark, I agree with most of what you write, but in your last paragraph you inadvertantly get around to explaining why this latest posturing from Adams is completely pointless: “If he’s serious about curbing on-campus drinking … “ Exactly. If he’s serious about curbing on-campus drinking, why is he focusing his attention on an off-campus event where a large part of the population is made up of adults who know what they’re getting into and have the right to do it?
Adams’s ridiculous (and ineffectual) nannying over what goes on in Jacksonville isn’t all that different from, say, Adams scolding a bunch of fraternity/sorority members over a particularly rowdy formal somewhere in Atlanta, or a group of UGA alums at a Happy Hour get-together, for that matter. It’s time for our nosy president to get his arse off his shoulders and realize that there are some aspects of life that he can’t control for students or alums — and even if he could, it’d take a lot more than a petty name change.
By the way, I don’t drink Natural Light. And you can have my flask of Glenfiddich scotch only when you can pry it from my cold, dead hands.
By chap
May 18, 2006 08:48 AM | Link to this
Let the network call what it is and lets keep the game in Jacksonville. The older I get the more I like tradition; so what if it is called the world’s largest outdoor cocktail party, changing the name will not increase or decrease the amount of drinking by those in attendance and those that just head for the islands for the week-end. A rose by any other name!!!!
By Ben
May 18, 2006 09:12 AM | Link to this
Remind me to never have a drink with Rod, aka Captain Downer. Need people to leave your party? Have Rod over.
By Rod
May 18, 2006 09:40 AM | Link to this
Yeah Ben, have people over, get them drunk and let them drive home. You’re a great party host.
As far as the Georgia/Florida game being in Jacksonville, times have changed and it’s time to move the game to the campus sites. Auburn/Alabama went through this routine for years with the “neutral” site of Birmingham. Finally, Auburn said enough and brought the games to the campuses. These neutral sites are great when programs need help selling tickets - but Auburn/Alabama and Georgia/Florida need no help selling tickets. Take the game back to the campus and students!
By gdawginkalamazoo
May 18, 2006 09:50 AM | Link to this
I hate to agree with Adams but to be politically correct he is right. Back when the drinking age was 18 and MOST college students were over that age what can you say. Times have changed. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t get the SEC to change to one of those leagues where “everybody gets to play” and “we don’t keep score” because we don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings or have the stigma of being a loser.
By Jeffrey
May 18, 2006 10:15 AM | Link to this
Hey Rod, The Iron Bowl was traditionally played in Birmingham because BOTH Auburn and Alabama didn’t have stadiums on campus to play their larger games. Both teams plays 3-4 games there a year, including the Iron Bowl. The seats were divided evenly between the two schools. So, Birmingham was a neutral site for the game. The Cocktail Party should be played in Jacksonville because that’s what makes that game special. Not that the game’s special, because Florida has owned Georgia for the past decade.
By junkyarddawg
May 18, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this
Shut the f*** up “Rudy’s Back”. What the f*** has Notre Dame done in the last 10 years?
Last year you became a decent FB team again. So what?
By brewerfaninATL
May 18, 2006 10:58 AM | Link to this
Sorry Mr. Bradley, but this is NOT going to change anything. It’s a football game with one heck of a tailgate/cocktail party, of course alcohol will be involved. I’m sure there’s plenty of alcohol involved when Texas plays Oklahoma, Auburn faces Bama, Michigan/Ohio State, etc. Shoot, it’s a big to-do when Minnesota plays Wisconsin (not many people know this but this is THE longest rivalry in Div. I history and it throws one heck of a cocktail party itself). My point is, even if you change the name from the “Largest outdoor cocktail party ever”, it’s not going to get people to stop binge-drinking on campus!
By gdawginkalamazoo
May 18, 2006 11:14 AM | Link to this
brewerfan, what trophy to you guys play Minnesota for? The Paul Bunyon Axe, the little brown jug? I can’t recall.
By brewerfaninATL
May 18, 2006 11:56 AM | Link to this
We play for the Paul Bunyan Axe. Michigan/Minnesota is the Little Brown Jug. My favorite? Michigan State/Indiana for the Old Brass Spittoon! Only in the Big Ten do you get the goofiest trophies!
By reality check
May 18, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this
Adams has the credibility of an AJC columnist.
By Buz
May 18, 2006 12:40 PM | Link to this
Michael Adams ran for Congress when he lived in Nashville, TN…almost winning in a very Democratic district.
He is always armed with politically-correct statements. Go Dawgs…
By Buz
May 18, 2006 12:42 PM | Link to this
Michael Adams ran for Congress when he lived in Nashville, TN…almost winning in a very Democratic district.
He is always armed with politically-correct statements. Go Dawgs…
By DawgByte
May 18, 2006 01:12 PM | Link to this
Politcal correctness run amuck.
By RUDY's BACK!!!
May 18, 2006 01:50 PM | Link to this
To:Junkyarddawg:Clever blog you Idiot!! If ND gave up football the dogs would still never catch them in all the records they hold.Get all your whining and crying out now so you can do yard work in the fall,while the dogs choke AGAIN!!! Your friend:RUDY!!!RUDY!!!RUDY!!!RUDY!!!RUDY!!!
By RUDY's BACK!!!
May 18, 2006 01:50 PM | Link to this
To:Junkyarddawg:Clever blog you Idiot!! If ND gave up football the dogs would still never catch them in all the records they hold.Get all your whining and crying out now so you can do yard work in the fall,while the dogs choke AGAIN!!! Your friend:RUDY!!!RUDY!!!RUDY!!!RUDY!!!RUDY!!!
By robert g
May 18, 2006 02:26 PM | Link to this
RUDY’S ON CRACK!! GET OFF OF THIS SITE YOU NERD.GO READ THE DA’VINCI CODE.BETTER YET SPEND SOME TIME WITH YOU BUDDY TED KENNEDY
By Paul
May 18, 2006 02:59 PM | Link to this
1) There is NOTHING different about college partying today compared to yesterday. It’s that today’s media is 20 times larger and everything is overly exposed.
2) Adams is grandstanding as usual, trying to curb yet another Georgia tradition just to flex his power and show everyone “who’s in charge.”
3) It’s a NAME, people. “World’s Largest Cocktail Party.” Sounds all in good fun to me. So a student died because of what the event was unofficially NAMED??
4) Florida students don’t need Fall break for this game. They have the luxury of driving 45 minutes to campus to this “neutral site.” But that’s a whole ‘nother argument.
5) Notre Dame SUCKS. Overrated and getting pleasured under the table by ESPN nonstop. Come opening day, GO TECH (and I’m a UGA fan).
By gdawginkalamazoo
May 18, 2006 03:31 PM | Link to this
Rudy, Your BCS chances fly out the window opening night when Tech stings your A**. Golden Dums.
By Lindsay
May 18, 2006 04:05 PM | Link to this
As a student of UGA, I can tell you that the name “the largest outdoor cocktail party” has no effect on how much i choose to drink ga/fl weekend. Anyone who has gone to ga/fl would notice that most of the people stumbling around also happen to be alumni- so Adams’ needs to get his jollies elsewhere and stop taking away tradition! Adams himself doesnt even live in the beautifully enormous, as well as historical, president’s house in athens- he lives on lake oconee..the first president ever to not live in the presidents house. Adams took away our Dooley, he took away students and alumni’s ability to tailgate and celebrate freely on gamedays, and now he’s taking away a nationally-recognized UNoffical name- that brings revenue into BOTH UGA AND UF… get the picture Adams- YOUR SCHOOL DOES NOT SUPPORT YOU! DOOLEY FOR PRESIDENT!GO DAWGS!! (mint julep in hand..)
By The Real Doug
May 18, 2006 04:07 PM | Link to this
RUDY’S BACK, if you’re not just some fairweather Irish fan who only leaped back on the ND bandwagon last year because they suddenly got good again, then you’ve probably been a fan long enough to remember what happened the last time Notre Dame faced Georgia: Herschel Walker used you guys as his personal doormat and the Dawgs whupped you for the national title. But hey, if you want to talk about s**t like how awesome Notre Dame was 70 years ago, I’m sure there are plenty of retirement homes in the area, full of people who would love nothing more than to talk with you.
By Ben
May 18, 2006 04:52 PM | Link to this
Rod,
Why are you so hung up on the drunk driving and where did I say I have people over so that I can “get them drunk and let them drive home”?
If anything I think having it in Jacksonville has less people behind the wheel than in Athens or Gainesville. Most of the people that I know stay in St. Simons and take bus down and the ones in Jacksonville take a shuttle.
As far as “taking it back to the campus and the students” that’s just dumb. The students aren’t the ones really donating the money to fund this program. There is such a high demand for tickets that freshmen sometime do not even get them and most alumni can’t get them until after a year or so.
The students will always be the lifeblood of UGA but don’t kid yourself as to who these decisions are being made for.
You need a drink.
By Thanks, Paul
May 18, 2006 04:53 PM | Link to this
Good dog!
By AltamahaDawg
May 18, 2006 04:53 PM | Link to this
Do you folks not understand the difference between tradition and public policy? I can’t beleive this isn’t something that didn’t come into light 10 yrs ago. If he didn’t say this, I would be wondering why not. Nobody ever said anything about banning an unofficial nicname among the attendees. Or asking grown men to give up thier legal right to consume beverages. Just that the UNIVERSITY of GEORGIA does not condone that direct connection of mass partying to one of its official functions. Read what the man said and stop bandwagoning, this is not just one more way Adams is bla,bla,bla. Doug was of cource making fun of us, but he is exactly right.
By AltamahaDawg
May 18, 2006 05:29 PM | Link to this
Lindsay, you simply cannot “take away” traditions, its the nature of the traditions, so never fear. I can tell you the fact that the school has addressed this policy will only endear that tradition even more. I’m betting 20,000 teeshirt will be sold with WLOCP on it this year. But it is the proper responce from the university policy wise. He never said Alum, or, of age students, dont drink or tailgate or party freely. I for one value the grass on campus and the value of my UGA diploma, and the reputation of the flagship university. I can see how current students get caught up in stuff in the news TODAY, but this is just a progression of change. We used to have actual beer trucks and live bands on Milledge Ave to welcome the freshmen class. And walk into Sanford with giant bottles of booze. I think Davidson had to start curbing that and was quite a snake at the time.
I do hate to be the one to say this to you but Adams in no way took away Dooley. He handled it very poorly , but that move was in the works long before he arrived. Adams is the one taking the heat for it, as planned, because he is the paid henchman. Beleive me, “Dooley has to go” was a very popular “inside” buzz way back to early/mid 90s. Nobody wants to admit it now. Adams simply has no problem with taking the wrap. He doesnt feel its his job to be popular.