They don't call Florida the "Sunshine State" for nothing. It can get a bit hot.
If you have been to any of the UF football games this semester or in the past, you know that it can get pretty warm in the stands. You also may notice security can be quite strict about what you can bring into the game.
Alcohol, of course, is prohibited as well as any backpacks or large purses that could be used to conceal dangerous materials.
Depending on where you entered the stadium, you might have been forced to throw away that new, sleek, top-of-the-line-cooling-technology water bottle you just purchased.
Water bottles could be used to bring in liquor or odorless, flammable liquids that could cause harm. The chances that people will bring the former greatly outweigh the latter.
But what about empty water bottles?
For the most part, be prepared to part ways with those at football games as well.
The question we ask is: Why?
Again, Florida is known for its hot weather, and fortunately the last two games have been during the cooler evenings.
But picture the following scenario:
You are at an afternoon game. Prior to the game, you might have consumed a few adult beverages, which may have dehydrated you a little bit.
You come prepared with an empty water bottle thinking surely you will be allowed to fill it up at the water fountains once you get inside the stadium.
You get to the gate and a security officer throws away your empty, possibly expensive new water bottle.
You think nothing of it and walk to find your seats.
About half an hour passes, and you begin to feel light-headed. You walk up the 30 or so rows of bleachers towards the restrooms. You have a sip of cold water from the water fountain, but you realize you need quite a bit more.
You then go the concessions. It's an SEC match-up and there's a long line at each one.
If you are lucky, you might just get that $4 bottle of water before you faint.
Could not all of this be avoided if you were allowed to keep your empty water bottle in the first place?
In our post-9/11 world, security can and does occasionally go overboard. We understand the desire to keep people safe, but sometimes the opposite can result.
The invasive TSA screenings at airports serves as a good analogy to this. Imagine the psychological damage experienced by the children who are having their groins groped by strangers in uniforms.
Do the ends really justify the means in these scenarios?
Still, the question must be posed again: In what possible scenario would an empty water bottle become a hazard?
