If You Already Think Beers at Sporting Events Are a Ripoff, Just Wait Until You Watch This Video

Think you're getting a better value by paying a little more for a larger beer at a stadium or arena game -- or at least saving yourself a trip back up to the concession stand? Think again.

A viral video shows that it's actually the same amount of beer in some cases, like at a sporting venue in Boise, Idaho.

"Century Link Arena is totally ripping off the good folks of Boise at their Steelheads Hockey games, and likely all other events, concerts, etc. held here!" the YouTube user going by HeathandGwenHunt said.

Image source: YouTube

The video shows Heath Forsey dumping a regular-size beer into a large-size beer cup as his girlfriend Gwen Gibbs filmed.  The regular beer is a shorter, squaty cup, while the large beer is taller but thinner. The beer from this smaller size filled the cup advertised as larger.

Check it out:

The cost difference? A regular beer goes for $4 while a large costs $7.

"What do you think of that? Every time you buy a large beer you're paying $3 more for the same amount of beer," Gibbs said. "Come on Century Link, that's a total ripoff."

Gibbs demonstrated how the cups were the same size the next day with green water. (Image source: YouTube)

Though this video of Century Link Arena beer is going viral now, it's not the first time this apparent scam in cup sizes has been pointed out. In 2011, fans did the same thing with two cups of supposedly different sizes from the Seattle Seahawks' Qwest Field.

Watch that video:

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Qwest Field officials said at the time that it was unaware of this issue between a 16-ounce cup billed as a 20-ounce cup.

"This is the first time we have been alerted to this fact," the Seahawks communications team said. "We are working with Levy Restaurants to follow up with the cup vendor about the measurement and to determine how long this has been occurring at Qwest Field. We are determined to find a solution as quickly as possible. In the meantime, we will serve domestic beer in the 20 oz. cup at tomorrow's playoff game to ensure all fans receive the amount they purchase, and we will charge the 16 oz. price."

After seeing the more recent viral video, officials at Century Link Arena responded in a similar way.

“It was recently brought to our attention that the amount of beer that fits in our large (20-oz) cups also fits in our regular (16-oz) cups," Eric Trapp, president of the Idaho Steelheads and CenturyLink Arena, said on Facebook. "The differentiation in the size of the two cups is too small. To correct that problem, we’re purchasing new cups for the large beers that will hold 24 ounces, instead of 20, for the remainder of this season to provide better value to our fans. As we do every offseason, we’ll evaluate our entire concessions menu for next season over the summer.”

Though these two venues have addressed the problem, it's something sports fans and concert goers should be aware of the next time they're choosing between regular and large drinks.

"We think they should call the large beer the 'Heath and Gwen' size so we'll be immortalized on their menu," Gibbs told the Idaho Statesman.

(H/T: Reddit)

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