da da DA da da dun dun: GO PACK GO
August 20, 2010 7:02 PM   Subscribe

Wisconsinite cheesehead transplanted into central Texas. I need to watch every Packers game. Help me.

I'd rather not have to pay for the NFL Sunday Ticket, since it requires a 2-year contract. I don't really watch television (in the sense of sitting around and flipping through the dial), so the billion or so channels I'm required to get just so I can have Packers games on Sundays will completely go to waste.

I'm currently located in San Marcos, but would be willing to drive to Austin or San Antonio to view my precious Packers. So, what I'm looking for is something like this:

- Sports bar with tons of TVs is fine, as long as the staff are kind enough to turn at least one of them to Green Bay games every Sunday
- A place that is friendly enough to "outsiders"; I don't want Dallas Cowboys fans beating the crap out of me just because I'm wearing an Aaron Rodgers jersey
- The closer to San Marcos, the better
- If YOU have the NFL Sunday Ticket and would love to watch the Packers with some fellow cheesehead company, I'd be happy to supply all the beer and snacks we need for the games (a longshot, I know)

Any help is appreciated!
posted by King Bee to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
For what it's worth -- going to a sports bar where you will have to eat and drink every Sunday will cost you far more than a cable/satellite and Sunday Ticket, it's just that the Sunday Ticket will be a larger up-front investment.
posted by proj at 7:06 PM on August 20, 2010


I know nothing about where to watch football, but I just wanted to throw in there that Austin is pretty full of people from out of town, so you aren't going to get beat by Cowboys fans here for wearing a different jersey at pretty much any sports bar. People are pretty chill about NFL loyalties here. I have a feeling San Marcos is the same, but can't personally vouch for this.
posted by elpea at 7:10 PM on August 20, 2010


Best answer: Meetup.com is your friend. Austin meetup.

Having been in a similar situation (Cheesehead living in Montana), I strongly recommend watching it with other Packers fans rather than springing for cable or by yourself in some bar. You're probably homesick already; don't be lonely and homesick.

GO PACK!
posted by desjardins at 7:15 PM on August 20, 2010


Response by poster: proj: perhaps, but recall that I would only go to the bar 12 times during the football season, since the Packers play 4 games on national television that I can watch at home. If it costs me $40 for food/drink/gas for each game, that's $480 for the season. The Sunday Ticket package alone is $300, not to mention that I'd have to pay something like $60 a month when football is not in season for television I don't want to watch.

desjardins: Thanks for the advice!
posted by King Bee at 7:28 PM on August 20, 2010


Best answer: I can answer this question! The Packers headquarters in Austin, according to my Packers friends and according to my own experience, is Billy's on Burnet, my neighborhood bar. A nice beer bar, pretty good food, and just absolutely filled with Packers fans on game days.
posted by seventyfour at 8:08 PM on August 20, 2010


Backing up my anecdotes:

Green Bay Packer's Fan Club of Austin, Texas: Local Green Bay Packer Bar: Billy's


And from Yelp:

Billy, Billy, Billy, yes there is a Billy, he even eats here! A real local dive and neighborhood bar many people like a lot (See reviews). Burgers OK, Nachos OK, fries not so good. Pool table, very small inside seating area, can be slow on service, has outdoor picnic tables, video games, juke box no real parking and more? Did I miss anything?

Yesssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!! I didddddddddddddddd!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday!!!! Cheeseheads, Cheeseheads everywhere, their here, their there, there are everywhere! Grown men with cheese wedge hats the size of a giant buckets, Green Bay flags, shirts, pants, socks, wallets, big Green and Yellow G's on their car doors. Green Bay dolls, Green Bay bobble heads, Yellow chairs, tank tops, baby outfits and more I can't even remember. Dallas fans don't go there on Sundays during football season; it could be dangerous to your health. Yes, if you own any of the above items or similar paraphernalia you could be a Packer Backer! I know your pain; you hate Favre now I know I know! I would have loved to see him play at Minnesota. Glad you guys have your place to hover and eat and yell and beat on the table when a penalty is called on Green Bay, according to a Packer Backer I know he never thinks a Packer has committed a foul, only bad refs.
posted by seventyfour at 8:13 PM on August 20, 2010 [1 favorite]


As mentioned, Billy's on Burnet is a Packers bar. Be warned, it's small. My lady friend watches the Saints up the road at Common Interest, which I would normally never set foot in, but they'll put on any game you want. It's never crowded, people are friendly, and the beer is cheap.
posted by sanko at 9:24 PM on August 20, 2010


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