Sports bar

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For those not familiar with the concept of a ‘sports bar’ ~ it has nothing to do with a cantina at a sports club or fitness centre, where you rest and have a drink with friends after having been active in the sports of your choice. A sports bar is the arena of the ‘armchair quarterback’; it is where you go the have a bite to eat and a drink while watching the sports of your choice.

That being said, it is often a good place to have a meal like pizza or a sandwich ~ or sometimes something more ‘upscale’ like a steak or seafood.
The thing about a sports bar is that you can do so while watching ‘the game’ on big television screens that are hanging in strategic positions. Often different screens will display different matches, or even different sports altogether; giving the patrons a choice as to which sports, which game to watch while enjoying your meal. Mercyfully only one soundtrack can be heard; the commentaries of the most ‘important’ match that is playing at that moment. The other audio streams are muted.

It makes for an interesting environment.
Tables aren’t chosen based on the company you get there in order to get your lunch or dinner ~ they are chosen based on where you can see the television screen of your choice best. And the attention is divided between the television screen, the food on your plate, and the company you are with… And when anything exciting happens ‘on the field’, everybody in the bar will voice their reactions out loud.

The whole arena makes for an atmosphere that brings people who may not know each other ~ people who haven’t met each other before, and may not ever meet each other again ~ together in an energy of camaraderie.

It is a camaraderie that is built upon mutual interest, and an openness to express that interest. And whether you are supporting one team or the other; ultimately it is about the sport in general.

To me it is interesting to see how something like this can work. How, as soon as we transcend the details as we see them and move up to enjoy the bigger picture ~ in this case the sport as a whole ~ camaraderie is possible.

The difference with finding a common cause to ‘fight’ for, is that in this instance it is not about fighting for a cause so much as it is about supporting something that is good. Something that works. Something that can be enjoyed by many people.

From a greater perspective it is a wonderful way to look at things happening in our lives. We don’t have to keep fighting for the things we want (and don’t have); we can choose to support those things that are working for us, and in doing so expand upon them.
It may well be a way to find a camaraderie that can come from unexpected sources…
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