Nevada Smith's is the epicenter for European soccer fanatics in Manhattan. Courtesy of Nevada Smith's

By Chris Mannix, SI.com

Looking for a good glass of bourbon during the Kentucky Derby? Need a safe house to watch the Sox in enemy territory? Here are some sports bars that have found a special niche:

Vinnie's Sardine Grill and Raw Bar, Mooresville, N.C.
The area is home to many NASCAR drivers and crew members, and this is the place to eavesdrop as they talk shop.

Old Seelbach Bar, Louisville, Ky.
No Kentucky Derby is complete without a little time spent handicapping while sipping a mint julep at the Old Seelbach, which has been in business since the early 1900s. The Independent of London once named Old Seelbach one of the 50 best bars in the world..

Pauli's, Omaha, Neb.
For two weeks every year, Pauli's becomes the local home of the College World Series, as more than 3,000 fans a night pile into this neighborhood tavern that sits roughly five miles from Rosenblatt Stadium.

Fat Face Fenner's Fish Shack, Hermosa Beach, Calif.; Rhino's, Washington, D.C.; Cafe Riviera, New York City; Sonny McLean's, Santa Monica, Calif.
These bars, all known for their rabid allegiance to the Boston Red Sox, prove that Red Sox Nation is not confined to New England.

Mudville Pub, Newport, R.I.
Baseball fans can enjoy a beer on the patio while watching college All-Stars compete in Rhode Island's Sunset League on the field right next to the pub, which is owned by former Providence basketball star Kevin Stacom.

T-Bonz, Augusta, Ga.
James Brown has his own corner table, but the real draw during the Masters is the golf talk at this Augusta institution where the winning caddie always picks up the bar tab for the other caddies on Sunday night.

Nevada Smith's, New York City
This East Village institution, which proclaims itself the most passionate soccer bar in the U.S., does its best throughout the day to re-create the fervor of a European soccer match.

Champions, Los Angeles
Celebrity hunting? By virtue of its locale -- inside the Marriott near the L.A. airport -- this is your best chance to rub elbows with a visiting athlete while bending an elbow at the bar.

Brother Jimmy's, New York City
This Manhattan rib joint is an oasis of ACC basketball in a city that is otherwise a desert for college hoops fans.

Summer's, Arlington, Va.
Showing more than 800 matches a year, the region's premier soccer bar hits its apotheosis during the World Cup, when it stays open 24 hours a day for patrons wishing to watch in the company of other futbol fanatics.