And thus, the first carbonated casualty of Mayor Bloomberg's Big Soda Ban has come to pass; the Barclays Center has capped its soft drink cup size at the ban's requisite 16 ounces. Though the ban will not go into effect citywide until March, the House That Jay-Z Built has gotten a head start on the heated public health initiative, and patrons are getting their formerly large-cupped universe rocked.
The Times reports that Blair Morris, a Manhattan-psychologist who attended Jay-Z's Barclays Center concert on Friday, was so taken aback by a 16 ounce soda cup, as mythical to New Yorkers as the G train, that she felt compelled to document it on Instagram. Long Island resident Kerem Latan "seemed disgusted" by the size of his soda, telling the Times, "I want a 48-ounce! I don't want to wait on that line again three times." And Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who spoke out against the soda ban at the Department of Health's public hearing this summer, also noted the small cup size. "Management decided to comply with the mayor's recommendations," he told the Times. "That's their prerogative."
Recent studies have substantiated the Bloomberg administration's argument that soda and other sugared drinks contribute to weight gain. But while a smaller soda might keep you trim, it'll apparently also cut into your wallet— Barclays' large cup clocks in at $4, just one buck less than Madison Square Garden's 24 ounce "small" size.
