South Carolina didn’t just struggle on the field last year. The Gamecocks’ 4-8 finish to the 2025 campaign came with a 33% drop in alcohol sales. That includes other sports as well. However, the reasons for the drop aren’t limited to what the fans were seeing from their team.
According to a report by The State, South Carolina Athletics saw a roughly $3 million decrease in gross alcohol sales across major sports, from a record high of $9 million in 2024–25 to approximately $6 million. This drop is significant because it occurred during a period of strong fan engagement, with scanned ticket attendance at Williams-Brice Stadium averaging over 63,000 fans per game, a 9% increase over 2023 levels.
Despite the high number of fans in seats, the revenue losses were huge. While sales in football declined by over $1 million, combined sales for men’s and women’s basketball games at Colonial Life Arena fell by nearly $1.5 million. The baseball games at Founders Park saw a smaller dip of roughly $50,000…