Texas Tech Bag Ban Is Not About Safety

On Wednesday the Texas Tech Athletic Office announced a new bag policy in the name of safety. From now on, at all sporting venues fans will only be allowed to bring in clear small bags. If you have been to a Dallas Cowboys game recently, the bag policy is similar.

Many Texas Tech fans already have a "game-day bag" that they take to home football games. They put wet towels in them during the warm games, jackets for the cold games, and ponchos for those rare rain day games. It's never been an issue until now.

Sure, some people sneak in a bottle of water during the warm day games but can you blame them? It was only a few years ago when Texas Tech ran out of bottled water during the first half. And no, this new clear bag policy won't stop someone from sneaking in a flask. Unless Texas Tech bans boots or goes to a clear jacket policy, someone will always attempt to bring in a flask.

I know what some of you are thinking. We live in a terrible world with terrorism. Maybe this is to make the games safer from terrorism or that really scary new Campus Carry law? Nope. Unless Texas Tech puts up metal detectors this has nothing to do with that either.

This policy change is aimed at those who bring in water and tortillas. Will it make for shorter lines? I doubt it.

When I have taken my Under Armour draw-string bag to a game, it takes the security checker about 10 seconds to look in it. The main holdup with the lines are ticket scanners that don't work, people who crowd the line 10 minutes before kickoff and people who can't find their tickets and are surprised they have to show a ticket. This bag policy will do nothing to address those issues.

No longer will you be able to bring in your camera bags, draw-string bags or fanny packs (which you shouldn't be wearing anyway). Instead, you can only bring in the following according to Texas Tech:

• Bags that are clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and do not exceed 12" x 6" x 12."
• One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar).
• Small clutch bags, approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap can be taken into the venue with one of the clear plastic bags.
• An exception will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection.

Don't have a clear bag? Don't worry, because Texas Tech also announced today that there are "Official Texas Tech Team Logo Tote Bags" that you can purchase.

Thanks, Texas Tech. Just another added expense of going to games. Could you at least do something that all fans could get behind and start selling beer at home games?

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