Are you ready to watch some football?
With the NFL season set to kick off Thursday night, it’s an important question. And if you’ve got a 19-inch Hitachi, dial-up Internet and a microwave dinner in front of you, the answer is no, you’re not ready.
Since the 1958 NFL championship game ushered in the modern era of watching football on TV, the NFL has become a mainstay on the tube all day Sundays and Monday nights during the fall. Just try to get a man to clean out the gutters between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. this Sunday. If he’s any kind of sports fan, he’ll be hiding under the sofa cushions.
In the 50 years since the marriage of the NFL and TV, not only has the game changed — leather helmets, anyone? — but the game-watching experience has changed as well. No longer do viewers have to sit and watch only one game with the kind of reception that leaves them wondering if it was 81 who caught that ball or 67. Now football watchers can see the players sweat — literally — on 48-inch plasma flatscreens with Red Zone packages that allow them to toggle between games based on which teams are closing in on a score as they keep tabs on their fantasy football players on their laptop.
But not everybody has a board-certified man cave, and others would rather watch the games somewhere else anyway. So where can you go to watch all the games? Here’s a few things to look for in searching for a sports bar to watch the games.
Essential No. 1: Screens everywhere
Sure you want to have a couple of large projector screens to watch the game, but just as important is the number of screens. It’d be a shame if you missed that incomplete pass in the Browns-Bucs showdown on your way to the bathroom. Basically you want to be able to see the game from any angle in the place, and if they have screens above the urinals, even better.
Essential No. 2: Lots of food and drink
Football fans aren’t known for their dainty diets. In fact a deep-fried pitcher of beer would be the perfect meal for football fan, so food and drink specials are a must. Since most football fans graze in herds, large portions of food (wing platters) and drink (pitchers) don’t hurt. Serving breakfast on Sunday mornings is good, since many fans will be hunkering down for the morning kickoffs at 10 a.m.
Essential No. 3: NFL Ticket
In this day and age of fantasy football, fans want to see more than just the Seahawks each week. Fantasy football fans expect to be able to watch any game at any time, so they can keep tabs on their backup running back on the Jaguars or their third wideout on the Packers. Enter the NFL Ticket, which makes it possible for fans to watch all the games, all the time.
Essential No. 4: Wi-Fi
If fantasy football geeks are going to leave the comfort of home, they’re going to need the ability to keep in touch with their team(s). Having Wi-Fi access alleviates that problem and allows fans to bring their laptops. Just don’t spill your pitcher of fried beer on your keyboard. Trust me — that’s a mess nobody wants to clean up, whether you’re at home or at a bar.
Aaron Swaney writes about fantasy football for The Herald on his blog at www.heraldnet.com/sports. You can follow him on Twitter @swaney_aaron79.
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