Road Trip

Traveling the Globe

By Maggie Haskins

Pulling a Daisy Miller but can't leave your beloved American teams behind? Check out SIOC's guide to places where students traveling abroad can watch some football -- American football, that is. Be prepared, though, because fans overseas lean more toward Bend It Like Beckham than Friday Night Lights

Winners Sports Bar in Canun, Mexico Courtesy of Day'O Group

Winners Sports Bar
Cancún, Mexico
Paseo Kukulcán Km 9.5, Hotel Zone

Need a break from the spring break body shots and triple kisses? Step inside this American-themed joint at the Dady Rock complex. Plasma TVs abound as American professional sports get major screen time. They even show NASCAR and NCAA hockey, so when you're tired of watching overtestosteroned frat boys brawl, you can watch college hockey.

Bulevar
Heredia, Costa Rica
Avenida Central, Calle 7

Seven miles outside of San José, Costa Rica's capital, and down the street from the Universidad Nacional, this quaint bar carries CBS and ESPN, and some tables come with built-in taps. Fútbol is king, so don't expect Duke-North Carolina to get priority over a World Cup qualifying match. But how can you complain when you never have to stand up to get a drink?

The Yellow Rose of Texas
Iquitos, Peru
Putumayo 180

Owned by Longhorns lover and former Texas baseballer Gerald Mayeaux, this bar is pure burnt orange, from the smoking grill out back to the giant stuffed armadillo to the Texas cheerleading unis the waitresses wear. Every UT football game is shown, even the losses to Oklahoma.

Sports Central
Sydney, Australia
Bent Street, Fox Studios, Moore Park

Cricket. Rugby. Aussie rules football. NFL. NBA. NASCAR. College basketball. College football. Golf. What more do you expect from a bar located at Fox Studios Australia? A 250-seat restaurant, four bowling alleys and three bars? You got it. Or you can just sit back and watch West Sydney and Wollongong play hoops.

Legends Sports Bar
Tokyo, Japan
3-16-33 Roppongi, 1F

This watering hole caters mostly to brokers and bankers but always has room for the student set. During this year's baseball playoffs, Red Sox Nation invaded, turning Legends into Cask 'n' Flagon-Far East. Though the Super Bowl falls on a Monday morning, the bar still draws about 60 Americans ready to party all day long.

Champions Sports Bar
Shanghai, China
2270 Hong Qiao Road

To find sports bars in Shanghai, hit up hotels. This Marriott bar fits the bill with solid burgers, steaks and Mexican food, not to mention overdone memorabilia and waiters in jerseys. (Ah, garish American-themed bars -- just like home.) NFL games are shown on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Sports Cafe in London, England Courtesy of The Sports Cafe Group Limited

The Sports Café
London, England
80 Haymarket

With four locations in the U.K., this ESPNZone-like chain is the mecca of international sports bars. Evidence: It carried last month's Toledo-Northern Illinois game. (Who cares if it was on tape-delay?) One-pound ($1.87) Carlsberg pints on Tuesdays for students. And if your game doesn't start until after closing, be nice and you might get to hang in the back and watch it after hours.

Abbey Theatre
Rome, Italy
Via del Governo Vecchio 51, 53

Head to this Irish pub that Cornell sports fans love. During the last Super Bowl, when a group of Big Red students requested Irish car bombs, the manager returned with Bailey's, a liter of Guinness and glasses of Jameson for everyone, saying, "I don't have car bombs; I have truck bombs."

Satellite Sports Café
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Leidseplein 11

Soccer rules in this bustling bar in the heart of Amsterdam, but Sunday night is devoted to the NFL. If you're worried you'll miss the big game, the staff will tape it for you and even arrange a special late-night viewing. If you're in the mood for a bite -- not uncommon in this smokin' city -- indulge in the pancakes.

The Frog and Princess
Paris, France
9 Rue Princesse

Les Grenouilles may not like our politics, but they don't frown upon our sports -- at least not at this cramped pub, which serves as a haven for international students. Happy hour every night along with Student Night on Tuesdays will help you pretend to understand rugby.

Jama
Prague, Czech Republic
V Jama 7 Prague 1

Hit up Jama on Saturdays and Sundays to watch pro and college football. Owned by an expat from Chicago, Jama offers not only the best burger in Praha but also free wireless Internet. It also has an SI subscription, albeit two weeks late, that patrons can check out. Nazdravi!

Richardson's Pub
Galway, Ireland
Eyre Square

This bar gets a special mention because of owner Fergus McGinn. Last March two Wisconsin fans were desperate to see Devin Harris in the NCAA tourney. They spoke to McGinn, and he agreed to show the game if they stayed from 5 p.m. until the final buzzer (around 3 a.m.). A 100-euro ($131) tab later, McGinn had been converted to a Badger.

Texas Lone Star Saloon
Seville, Spain
Calle Placentines 25

Love Pau Gasol? So does this Tex-Mex restaurant and bar. Grizzlies games are a staple, as are the NFL playoffs and March Madness. Make a reservation for the Super Bowl, and for 18 euros ($24) you get a seat at a table, four beers and snacks.

Issue date: December 2, 2004