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An (Exhausting) Day in the Life of a Penn State Stadium Drink-Vendor Guy

time:2025-02-06 05:57:24 Source: author:

If you asked the fans sitting in a football stadium on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to point to the athletes, they'd nod toward the helmets on the field. But there's another group getting a rigorous workout during those four quarters—you just don't notice them until you're thirsty.

Stadium vendors are weekend warriors of a different breed, huffing up stairs and down aisles hawking beer, water, and lemonade to the masses for hours at a time. And unlike the guys in the helmets, they don't get a break at halftime.

Nate Miller, a 36-year-old receiving supervisor at a Home Depot outside Harrisburg, PA has been vending at football games and concerts as a side-hustle since 1997, when he was a senior in high school. His main venue is Beaver Stadium, home to the Penn State Nittany Lions and the second largest football stadium in the country, seating up to 106,572 thirsty patrons. For a guy who makes 15 percent commission on his sales, that translates to a lot of lemonades.

It also translates to a lot of stairs.

But Miller says it's not so much the stairs that wear him down—it's carrying all those drinks. Between a tray of 24-ounce lemonades (that he helps to make in the hours leading up to the game) and a bag of water bottles, Miller lugs an extra 70 pounds with him from the front row to the nosebleeds and back again.

We outfitted him with a Fitbit Flex before Penn State's second home game of the season to find out just how much of a workout he gets. While most in the stadium sat and cheered, he took 11,773 steps, walking nearly five miles and burning over 1,300 calories.

Do you consider yourself to be in shape?I wouldn't say I'm in good shape, but I'm not in bad shape either. It definitely helps to be fit; the more you can carry, the more you can sell.

Do you each cover certain sections, or is the whole stadium fair game?We can go anywhere. I favor the Penn State side because that's where the money is. The people who pay to sit behind the Penn State bench at the 50-yard line are going to be good customers. The only place I don't go is the student section. Nobody goes there. I'm sorry but a lot of college kids don't have the money. Plus they stand the whole game, so if they're standing nobody's gonna see me. It's hard enough holding the tray above your head when people are sitting, let alone when they're standing.

How much can you make on a good day?The best I ever did at Beaver Stadium was $2,700 in sales, plus tips. I averaged just over $2,000 in sales last year.

Knowing that it's a long game with a physical toll, do you pace yourself?As I'm getting older I do pace myself at a certain speed until halftime, which is the busiest time; I usually come down and sell beneath the stadium seats so I'm not in people's way in the aisles. After halftime I get to the "I'm ready for this to be over" point, when I'm just kind of in neutral. I wish I could do more but my body tells me I can't.

Where do you feel it most the next day?Now that I'm getting older, when I roll out of bed I feel it immediately, mostly in my shoulders and down my back, just from holding that tray.

Ever weigh yourself before and after a game?Yeah, I've lost 10 pounds in a single game. It doesn't matter if it's cold or rainy, I still sweat like crazy.

Do you eat anything in particular to prepare for that kind of extended workout?No. I try to stay hydrated though; I drink water or Gatorade every time I go back to the stand to refill my tray. But if it's really busy, I won't even stop to drink water, I'll just keep going.

**Do you ever drink your own lemonade? **Heck yeah, I drink two of them after every game while I'm counting my money.

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