Washington Redskins fan Beth Gourley, 45, stopped going to games two years ago, despite the fact that her family had season tickets since 1963. "People are hammered, the language is horrible and the ushers can't seem to do anything about it," Gourley said. "We're not beer drinkers -- we come to watch the game -- but the stadium caters to beer drinkers."

Another Redskins seasons-ticket holder, Bob Warren, 55, says fan behavior has gotten worse over the past five years. "It's not the same friendly atmosphere it used to be," he said. "The rowdiness and the language is definitely different."

Some fans and alcohol-prevention experts say U.S. culture that links alcohol use and sports fuels the problem. "People have come to expect and accept the blanketing of alcohol promotion around sports," said Laurie Lieber of the Marin Institute. Not only are alcohol ads everywhere at football stadiums and on the air during games, more venues have bars and restaurants built right into the facility.

Moreover, tailgating has increased, giving fans hours to drink before the games begin. "The longer people have to drink and socialize, the more problems we anticipate," said Lt. Terence Sheppard of the Prince George's County police department, which provides a detail at the Redskins' FedEx Field.

Adds Lieber: "Increased availability leads to increased consumption, which leads to increased problems. Some people never make it to the game. Others leave when sales are stopped inside the stadium so they can get to an offsite bar and not have to stop drinking."

George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest adds that stadiums need to do more to control excessive drinking, such as barring sales before kickoff. "Even though concessionaires do the best job they can, they have a bunch of drunken louts to deal with, even before the beginning of the game," he said.

Limiting service sizes is another area where stadiums could do better, he added. "Some stadiums serve 24-ounce beer, which is really two beers, and they sell two at a time. That's four beers," said Hacker.

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