THE SIDELINES : Nondrinkers Get Own Section

Gator Bowl officials, responding to complaints from nondrinkers who find beer-drinking fans unbearable, have set aside 313 seats in the 82,000-seat stadium as a family section for NFL preseason games.

Stadium officials decided that nondrinkers had to be tucked in someplace so there would be no one spilling beer on them from behind. The nondrinking zone starts 61 rows up from the field in the south end zone.

“We made the best possible decision based on the stadium,” said Robin Rukab, who handles promotions for the Jacksonville Sports and Entertainment Commission.

The area can be expanded if there is more demand, but she noted that very few people bought seats in a nondrinking section when the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League played in the Gator Bowl.