Robin Goes to a Sports Bar

 

Sunday, March 3, 2012 – Robin Goes to a Sports Bar

Retirement is the time for new experiences, so I decided to venture into a sports bar for the first time in my 61 years.  I’m doing this for research purposes only, you understand.  My friend, Cheryl, called me yesterday to ask if I’d like to join her there to watch a Michigan State basketball game.  It seems she’s a Michigan State alum, and an avid fan.  Personally, I’ve never watched a basketball game (college or NBA) in my life, but the idea of watching one in a sports bar intrigued me, so I said I’d give it a try.

But first, for this morning’s activity – I was going to write I took Elliott out for a walk after breakfast, but that sounds too much like I was walking a dog, which wasn’t the case at all.  In fact, I was truly pleased that he asked me to go out to the mall so he could walk there before the stores opened.  The flat and temperature controlled conditions are perfect for him.  Since this would be my exercise too, I prepared for our outing by eating not one, but two breakfasts.  Well, actually make that three, if you count the leftover shrimp lo mein that called out to me so plaintively just before we left the house. 

Meanwhile, Elliott has become an avid reader, thanks to technology.  Since he can change the size of the font on his Kindle, he no longer has to struggle with a magnifying glass.  As soon as we got back from the mall, he sat down at the table in the family room where the daylight was pouring in.  He took a brief mid-day break for lunch, then went right back to reading.  I can understand why he’s so engrossed.  He’s reading Stephen King’s 11/22/63, a novel I read on my Kindle Fire while we were in Florida.  It’s highly addictive.  By the way, it’s the first Stephen King novel I’ve ever read, and I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. 

And now for the report on my afternoon at the sports bar.  First of all, I had to consider what to wear.  I was aiming for the casual sportif look – specifically, blue jeans and t-shirt or sweatshirt with college or team logo; not too much make-up or jewelry.  Unfortunately, my Wisconsin shirt was in the laundry so I had to settle for a plain black jersey top.  At least I wouldn’t alienate any of the patrons by supporting the “wrong” team.  I thought of bringing along my Kindle (in case I got bored), but decided that I should focus on observing and taking notes on the phenomenon of communal sports viewing in the sports bar setting.   The site of my case study was a sports bar that bears the improbable name of Buffalo Wing University.  I can’t quite figure that out, probably because I’ve never understood exactly what a buffalo wing was.   Anyway, BWU is located in Fairfax City, not far from the campus of George Mason University.  I have driven past it on numerous occasions, but today was my first opportunity to go inside. 

The exterior of BWU could best be described as modernist strip-mall.  As for the interior, design motifs reflected the local college and professional sports teams and the beverages favored by the viewers of the games.  Staring me in the face in the entranceway was an enormous Redskins football helmet painted on a burgundy wall.  A giant inflated plastic beer bottle floated over my head.  Furniture, including bar, bar stools, tables, and chairs, was primarily dark wood.   Flooring was nondescript, probably chosen for ease of cleaning.  Lighting (both natural and artificial) was minimal.  Multiple television monitors predominated.  The screens came in three sizes – large, larger, and largest. 

Obviously, no one goes to a sports bar for the décor.  They come for the camaraderie, to share their enthusiasm for their favorite teams, and to drink and eat.  Speaking of food, you don’t have to look at the menu to know that a lot of frying takes place here.  The odor in BWU made that perfectly clear.  Out of curiosity, I perused the menu to see how many fried items were available:  French fries, curly fries, fried mozzarella sticks, fried zucchini sticks, fried onion rings, corn dogs, chicken fingers.  In addition, the menu featured burgers, subs, the ubiquitous pizza, and of course, wings.  A whole section of the menu was devoted to various “buffalo” sauces to adorn said wings.  As expected, there was a distinct dearth of vegetarian options.  Eventually, I ordered a small pizza (whole grain crust not available, sigh).  It seemed the least offensive choice.  But Cheryl made up for my restraint by ordering stuffed potato skins (with bacon, cheddar cheese, and sour cream) and fried onion rings.  As for drinks, I’m sure our waiter was disappointed when I ordered a glass of iced tea rather than a pitcher of foam-topped beer.  But in the interest of professional research, I couldn’t let my judgment become impaired. 

Now for the sports bar patrons.  BWU started to fill up shortly after Cheryl and I arrived.  Cheryl and I were clearly double the age of the average viewer.  Nearly everyone’s attention seemed focused on the George Mason game, which coincided with the Michigan State game.  The largest group of patrons congregated in the bar area although about a dozen formed a separate viewing party at a long table in front of a mammoth television screen.  We could hear occasional shouts, whoops, cheers and applause as the games progressed.   But I certainly wouldn’t describe the crowd as rowdy. 

Part way through the second quarter, I decided that I’d gathered enough information for my research.  I surrendered my green and white pompom (loaned to me by Cheryl), packed up my notebook (and my uneaten pizza), and went home while Michigan State was still ahead of Ohio State and George Mason was still trailing VCU.  As far as the eventual outcome, I’ll check later online – maybe.  But the next time I get an email from the Wisconsin Alumni Association inviting me to a Badger viewing party, I might just go.  On the other hand, maybe I'll make this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.