A community in Texas is split over a decision to start selling alcohol at youth baseball games.
The city council in Burleson, Texas, voted 5-2 earlier this week to allow adults to buy alcohol at the Burleson Chisenhall Sports Complex, where youth baseball teams play games. The drinks will be sold at the complex's concession stand.
Like the council, community members were split over the development, according to CBS News.
"When you mentioned liquor sales and I was like, 'Heck yeah, it's a social sport," one parent said, according to the outlet.
Another woman, Meredith Todd, told CBS News that she thought alcohol sales would be a "good idea" because "most of us parents are responsible with that."
"After work I could just have a glass of wine with my girlfriends, where we spend every Wednesday night watching our kids," she said. "I think it brings the community together, and I don't see anything wrong with it."
Ray Jones, a volunteer at the complex, said during the meeting that he doesn't "think alcohol has a place here, period."
Jones has formerly volunteered as a coach, an umpire, and has watched four of his own children play at the complex. He's afraid that mixing alcohol, and potentially rowdy and competitive parents in the stands, will cause trouble at games.
"There are situations with angry parents, coaches, people get emotional, and you add alcohol to that, it's like, 'What are we doing?' This isn't a rock concert or a nightclub — this is a kid's event," he said.
He said if parents can’t make it through a game without a drink, they “might have a problem.”
In addition to making alcohol available, the change will shift the operation of the concession stand from the local youth association into the hands of a private contractor. The youth association allows teens to work the concession stand and provides them with part-time job opportunities.
Typically, state law requires workers to be at least 18 to serve alcohol in restaurants.
"And now that money is going to a corporation, and also in order to serve alcohol, you can't have 14-year-olds in there, so it's limited money for those kids to play and earn a little extra money," Jones said.
The city's leaders defended the vote, with Mayor Chris Fletcher noting that he'd spoken to leaders in other towns that allowed alcohol sales, and was told they'd had no issues with the policy.
Under the new rules, alcohol can only be sold at games involving players older than 12 as well as special events like the city's Fourth of July celebrations. Alcohol sales will be suspended for all Little League games and practices.
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