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Care for a burger and a beer, or nachos, ribs, chili, wings, etc., alongside whatever libation you happen to enjoy? What else? How about watching your favorite team play football, baseball, basketball, soccer or hockey (or following a golf or tennis match or a race, be it equine or automotive) on a high-definition screen while you're enjoying the above? No problem. That's what sports bars are for.
The online betting site BetUS estimates that 154 million people watch their favorite sports on TV, whether at home or out in public, every month, and has computed that there are 17,327 sports bars across the U.S.
The whole sports bar idea might have started with Palermo's Tavern in St. Louis, which opened in 1933 and quickly earned a clientele of sports fans and athletes. (It didn't hurt that the city had two major league baseball teams at the time, the Browns and the Cardinals.) In 1947, proprietor Jimmy Palermo put 12-inch black-and-white TV sets around the room, presaging the multi-screen arrangements most sports bars have today. The place subsequently kept up with new technologies as TVs became bigger and color was introduced.
Another place, Legends Sports Bar in Long Beach, CA, opened in 1979 by onetime L.A. Rams lineman Dennis Harrah, bills itself as "The First Modern Sports Bar in America." The modernity is presumably due to the fact that, as its website states, it "was the first establishment to use satellite technology to broadcast live sporting events from around the world."
With so many sports bars operating today, how is a sports fan to choose the best ones? To answer that question, 24/7 Tempo reviewed "The Best Sports Bars in the United States, Ranked," published by BetUS, an online betting site.
BetUS ranked sports bars based on average Google review scores, cheapest beer price and the price of a hamburger. 24/7 Tempo rejiggered their results, grouping bars with the same review score together and then arranging them within each score category according to the combined price of a beer and a burger, with the less expensive bars rating higher.
A dozen states are represented, with Mississippi, Arkansas and Nebraska boasting three bars each. Interestingly, the nation's largest states — California, Texas, Florida and New York — don't figure here at all. (If you want to get more local, here's a list of the best sports bar in every state.)
20. 4th & Goal Sports Cafe
- Location: Jackson, Mississippi
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $11.99
- Average review score: 4.5
19. Gipper's Sports Grill
- Location: Auburn, Maine
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $11.99
- Average review score: 4.5
18. Depot Pub
- Location: Gardiner, Maine
- Price of a beer: $2.25
- Price of a burger: $10.95
- Average review score: 4.5
17. The British Bulldog
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $10
- Average review score: 4.5
16. The Dotte Spot Bar & Grill
- Location: Kansas City, Kansas
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $10
- Average review score: 4.5
15. Top Hat Sports Bar & Grill
- Location: Parkville, Maryland
- Price of a beer: $2.75
- Price of a burger: $10
- Average review score: 4.5
14. Ringside Lounge
- Location: Jersey City, New Jersey
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $8.95
- Average review score: 4.5
13. TC's Midtown
- Location: Conway, Arkansas
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $8
- Average review score: 4.5
12. Tiger Tom's Pub
- Location: Omaha, Nebraska
- Price of a beer: $3.50
- Price of a burger: $6
- Average review score: 4.5
11. Bullseye's
- Location: Hastings, Nebraska
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $4.99
- Average review score: 4.5
10. Four Quarter Bar
- Location: North Little Rock, Arkansas
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $11.50
- Average review score: 4.6
9. Marty's Family Restaurant & Bombers Sports Bar
- Location: Rock Springs, Wyoming
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $10.99
- Average review score: 4.6
8. Hurley Huddle Sports Grill
- Location: Moss Point, Mississippi
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $10.79
- Average review score: 4.6
7. The Hub Pub
- Location: Grand Forks, North Dakota
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $12
- Average review score: 4.6
6. Cubby's Sports Bar & Grill
- Location: Brookings, South Dakota
- Price of a beer: $3.25
- Price of a burger: $9.45
- Average review score: 4.6
5. Sobo 151 Bar & Grill (tie)
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $6
- Average review score: 4.6
4. Sluggo's Sports Pub & Grill (tie)
- Location: Brookfield, Wisconsin
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $5.99
- Average review score: 4.6
3. Sandtrap Sports Bar
- Location: Hot Springs, Arkansas
- Price of a beer: $3.75
- Price of a burger: $10
- Average review score: 4.7
2. Barrett's Barleycorn Pub & Grill (tie)
- Location: Omaha, Nebraska
- Price of a beer: $3.00
- Price of a burger: $11
- Average review score: 4.7
1. The Project Lounge (tie)
- Location: Biloxi, Mississippi
- Price of a beer: $2.50
- Price of a burger: $9
- Average review score: 4.7