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LSU stadium sod giveaway turns chaotic, runs out in minutes

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 12/2/19

The 2019 season marks the most memorable and successful football campaign LSU has had in at least eight years, and it’s fair to say fans are desperate for a piece of the action.

If you need proof of that, you need only see what happened in Baton Rouge on Monday when the university gave away pieces of sod from the Tiger Stadium field for free.

According to WBRZ, the school announced that the field would be torn up for stadium improvements, and it had elected to give away more than 3,300 pieces of the sod for free for fans seeking a memento. A two-hour first-come first-serve giveaway was scheduled for 4 p.m., but as WBRZ’s Trey Couvillion chronicled, things went off the rails between fans camping out for their shot and people simply grabbing turf before the giveaway even started.

Hundreds of LSU fans are already lined up to grab a piece of history. Chunks of turf from Tiger Stadium will be given away here in the parking lot of Alex Box Stadium starting at 4 p.m.

Some fans have been out here since 10 a.m. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/bpwwnXaLnn

— Trey Couvillion (@treycouvtv) December 2, 2019

It’s a complete scramble as people started grabbing grass before the “official” start time of 4 p.m.

Once the first person grabbed a piece, it turned into a free-for-all.

All the pallets are totally cleared now.. @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/JnlmoYrmHo

— Trey Couvillion (@treycouvtv) December 2, 2019

Basically, the giveaway ended before it was even scheduled to begin, as eager fans grabbed every piece of sod in a matter of minutes.

It’s hard to blame the fans. LSU is 12-0, one game away from the College Football Playoff, and has a season full of memorable moments to look back on. It sounds like things were a bit poorly organized, but that’s hardly the fault of the fans.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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