When the happy hour creates an unhappy mess where a local tradition once unfolded, it's time to put a cork in it.

Aloha Stadium authorities have decided to meet their latest problem — drunkenness at University of Hawai'i football games — halfway rather than head-on. Their approach: Ban drinking in the parking lot before the game, but allow the purchase of alcohol inside the stadium during the event.

They say this is enough to neutralize the situation because the worst behavior can be traced to a relatively small group of tailgate partiers who are already drunk well before kickoff.

Those in charge say that banning drinking in the lot gives stadium security guards the ammunition to turn away the ones caught drinking openly outside the turnstile.

Disgusted fans say: We'll believe it when we see it.

Stadium officials hesitate to ban drinking inside in part because of contractual agreements with concessionaires. But at the very least they should take some steps to curb it. Fans should be permitted to buy alcohol only in limited amounts.

Given that they could be held liable for serving alcohol to someone who's intoxicated, the concessionaires should cooperate with this gesture.

Security also must be sure to make an example of the worst offenders if anyone is to take this measured crackdown seriously.

And if it doesn't work, it'll be time to reconsider and ban drinking altogether.

Most college football games are alcohol-free, so tossing back beers is not a necessary component of enjoying a football game. And many former fans report that the stadium drunks have driven them away from attending, especially with young family members, which defeats the purpose of a home game, anyway.

If the goal is make UH football games a safe and pleasant way to spend an evening, then the focus should be placed where it belongs: on the gridiron.