Where to Watch

Do you have a favorite place to watch your team’s weekly games? Are you a fan of throwing parties at your house? Or going to a sports bar to join other fans? Or are you one who likes to watch alone at home, so you can yell at the screen and no one thinks you are crazy?

When I lived in Texas, I loved getting together with friends at my house or their house to watch a game. Everyone brings a snack to share. You can yell at the TV if needed. It’s cozy with everyone gathered around the television in the living room. If it’s a big football day, you bring a second (or third) TV into the living room. Now that I live in Nashville, I don’t really have a group of friends who are Texas fans, so I’ve watched numerous games on my own at home. Not nearly has much fun.

A few weeks ago, some friends invited me out to watch football with them at the Crow’s Nest. It was the week of the Texas @ Texas Tech game, which was game of the week on ABC. However, I live in the land of the SEC, so the game that got the big screen…and sound…at Crow’s Nest was Georgia @ Arkansas. The other big game that Saturday was Auburn @ West Virginia. The Crow’s Nest had a great atmosphere - it was packed with people sporting their beloved team’s colors. There’s something so much fun about watching several games at the same time with so many people, cheering for their teams. I’d be focused on the Horns, and a cheer would go up from somewhere in the restaurant (often from the Georgia fan sitting at my table), and I’d look to watch the replay. However, it was hard to watch the Horns with no sound. I got easily distracted – by the other games and by the great new friends I met. Meeting new people is always more fun to me than watching a football game. We did have some great conversations sitting around the table, particularly about the unofficial Texas vs. Tennessee rivalry. We also talked some about all the great players that come out of Texas, such as Matt Stafford & Greg McElroy. There were a few moments, though, when I was so focused on the Horns’ game that I completely zoned out of chatting. (I did apologize for that later, and they were very understanding.)

The following week, for the Texas vs. UTEP game, I went to Judge Bean’s BBQ in Brentwood. It’s a Texas BBQ joint & the owner is a hardcore Longhorns fan. I found out when I got there that it’s the official watching spot of the Texas Exes. I met new people just because I was wearing burnt orange, which happens here a lot. Anytime someone sees me wearing burnt orange, or vice versa, there’s almost always a conversation to be had. By the time the game was over, I had met everyone in the room. It was fun to watch with a bunch of Longhorn fans and to have sound. However, I found that most of the people there only cared about the Longhorns. They were not interested in any of the other games, even though four of the top 10 teams were losing or had already lost.

What are your thoughts? Where’s your favorite place to watch a game?