Football fans took to Uptown bars for Super Bowl Sunday, rendering the normally noisy bars quiet in the last 20 seconds of the game
Hundreds of Ohio University students slapped on Patriots and Seahawks jerseys and trekked to the bars Uptown Sunday night to view the NFL’s XLIX Super Bowl game with the company of drinks, friends and food.
The bars on Court Street began filling up around 5 p.m., and became increasingly crowded throughout the game, which started at 6:30 p.m. and ended around 10:30 p.m. with the New England Patriots winning 28-24 against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I think people come out to the bars because it’s a great atmosphere and it’s more fun than staying home,” Jamie Yoder, bartender at Pawpurr’s Bar, 37 N. Court Street, said. “We opened a couple of hours earlier than usual...”
At the start of the game, about 40 people were in the bar. By halftime, that crowd had nearly doubled.
“This is a big day and I think people like being in a social atmosphere when they watch big sports games,” Eric McCool, patron at Pawpurrs and OU student, said.
Some compared Super Bowl Sunday’s bar crowd to the draw Uptown for the College Football Playoffs National Championship about a month ago, though that game had more of an Ohio interest.
“When people get together to watch big sports games, there is a certain camaraderie, kind of like how it was with the Ohio State football game,” Brandon Harris, bartender at Courtside Pizza, 85 N. Court St., said.
Some just came Uptown so they wouldn’t be stuck at home alone.
“I think its just better to yell at the TV when there are more people around you then if you are just sitting by yourself at home and yelling at it,” Katie Basalla, patron at Courtside, added.
Courtside was one of the more crowded bars on Court Street, with some hitting the location to pick up pizzas as well.
There were more Browns and Bengals fans Uptown than those rooting for the Patriots or Seahawks, though most adopted a strong opinion on who deserved to win the game.
“I’m actually a Packers fan, so I’m still salty from a couple of weeks ago. I’m rooting for the Patriots for sure,” Sean Martin, patron at Pawpurrs, said.
As the game came to a close, the normally noisy bars were nearly silent as fans kept their eyes on the TV.
The game ended with a questionable call made by the Seahawks to throw the ball rather than run it on the three-yard line with just 20 seconds left. That resulted in a game-ending interception, which sealed the game for the Patriots and shocked many of the hundreds Uptown. Most, however, just went back to drinking.
Some bar-goers neglected to adopt the Super Bowl teams’ colors, opting for their home teams instead.
“As you can tell by my jersey I am a Browns fan, but I have to go with the Seahawks tonight,” Tommy O’Dougherty, patron at Courtside, said. “I like hanging out here and the whole social aspect of going to a bar and watching the game. I think it’s better than watching the game at home, it’s just more fun to go out.”
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