Fall of the Preakness

(via VH1) This is the first year the Preakness banned BYOB in the infield, and this Slate article captures the nostalgia for the Preakness' wild days of yore.

After last year's Preakness resulted in multiple medical emergencies—one guy reportedly made it all the way across the porta-potties only to hit the ground face first—Preakness organizers decided it was time for a change. (Rampant nudity and occasional violence may have also played a role.) They banned outside booze, organized activities like a women's volleyball tournament and bikini contest, and invited musical acts Buckcherry and ZZ Top. It says something about the Preakness that these were the activities introduced to keep things under control.