Football fans, don’t do this at sports bars! Do this instead!

Ahhh yes! Football season has begun and football fans across Chicagoland are fired up and ready to roll.

Part of the football tradition, of course, is watching games at local sports bars. It is a way of connecting with fellow fans, sharing the game experience, feeling all the excitement in a group setting and then, if God forbid your team ends up losing, the crowd around you can offer shared solace.

A win-win, no matter how you look at it.

But the sports bar football-watching experience does not come without its potential pitfalls. There can be some bumpy roads and strange twists and turns along the way—so, as a Chicago Star bonus, we give you some friendly “do’s” and “ dont’s,” including some time-tested theories on how best to watch these games in a public setting.

Keep this sheet handy and refer to it as needed during the long season.

Do:  Get there early. Get a good seat. Then catch all the anticipation and excitement of the pre-game festivities. Side note: As Bears fans can sadly attest to, sometimes the pre-game is the best part! Once the game begins? OK, we won’t go there.

Do:  If you so choose, wear your team’s jersey to the bar. Show who you are proudly rooting for  But…

Don’t:  Wear that same jersey with a player’s name on the back. It sort of breaks “the man rules,” and that applies to the ladies as well.

Don’t: Order too much food too early. Pace yourself. These games are long, an endurance test if you will, so let the eats linger until the fourth quarter. Ditto for drinking!

Do: Talk to the folks next to and near you, especially if you don’t know them.  One of the great things about the sports bar football-watching experience is the shared camaraderie that everyone in the bar feels. Who knows? The stranger sitting next to you at the beginning of thegame could become your best friend by game’s end! Hey, even a few long-termelationships and marriages have started with the innocent beginnings of a bar stool and chicken wings.

Don’t: Get into arguments with fans from opposing teams. An easy trap to fall into, no doubt, as the intensity of the game, your allegiance to your team, and a few too many cocktails can easily raise tensions between folks to an uncomfortable level. Avoid these confrontations at all costs! We have all seen videos of fans at games getting into fights, and how ridiculous they look—so be sure not to be “that guy” or “that girl.”

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Do:  Be prepared for all the commercial breaks. There are an almost obscene number of commercials and advertisements in today’s football-viewing experience—and thus lots of downtime at the bar. Using the washroom, talking to folks near you, checking your betting or fantasy team results, and maybe just taking time to catch yourbreath and check the surrounding area are all good time-wasters for those painfully long commercial breaks.

Don’t: Try and make cell phone calls during those breaks.  The noise, the confusion, the fact the call can go on into game time—all just makes the bar cell call pretty much a losing proposition.

There might be more to add to this list, so stick with us, as we have in the future a “part two” to this particular topic.

Chicago bars to watch football games this season

Now, as to where to watch football games in the city: Where are the best bars to watch a foottball game? The debate is endless and the list is long.

We will list a few here, but this by no means is a complete—or even a “best of”—list. All listed below, though, have proven through the years to be great places to catch the football action.

The Kaiser Tiger in the West Loop

Jake Melnick’s in River North

Tavern On North in Wicker Park

Sweetwater’s in the Loop

Will’s Northwoods in Lakeview

The Gage in the Loop

101 in River North