DESTIN, Fla. – Walk through the revolving glass doors of the Hilton Sandestin Hotel, pass the smiling faces at the front desk, swing a left at the sky-lit indoor pool, and there for all to see, just 50 paces from the entrance, is a fully stocked bar serving adult beverages.
Some of the most important men in college football made this stroll over the last three days, their destination a group of plush ballrooms that play host to pivotal legislative discussions at the annual Southeastern Conference meetings.
To get there, they must of course pass that bar, the liquor jugs, wine bottles and beer taps a reminder of a topic debated annually here: the stadium-wide sale of alcohol.