LAST CALL
A bar seeking itself
By Coley Ward
CWARD@AZSTARNET.COM
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 09.04.2008
Sports on Congress isn't much of a sports bar.
But that's OK, because it's not trying to be a sports bar. Not anymore.
Owner Eli Berlin, who opened the Downtown bar in January 2007, says Sports is more of a music club these days. There are live bands or DJs on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays playing everything from hip-hop to heavy metal.
"We're actually trying to think of a new name for the place," he says.
With a new name, Berlin promises, will come new décor.
"We'll probably get rid of some of the sports stuff," he says. "Maybe bring in some art."
Right now, the space is suffering an identity crisis.
In the main room there are six TVs that hang above the bar, none of them offering a picture anywhere close to high-definition. On top of the TVs rest athlete figurines — 6-inch basketball, football and baseball players in mid-hook-shot, Hail Mary pass or face-first slide.
A well-worn leather couch sits in front of a flat-screen TV, just a few feet from the black-and-white tiled bar. Near the entrance is a pool table and a "Baywatch"-themed pinball machine. David Hasselhoff's face looms large on the machine, and somebody has taped a porn-star mustache above the Hoff's upper lip.
In a side room, there's a jukebox and a stage where bands play.
Sometimes, the sound of cheering fans and announcers' voices fill the bar. Other times, the jukebox is playing Jimi Hendrix or Dr. Dre.
Berlin says he initially went with the sports bar concept to appease the state's liquor license board. He says the board told him he needed to operate as a restaurant to serve alcohol. So he opened his kitchen, bought some old TVs and turned the channel to ESPN.
But the deep fryer didn't stay plugged in for long.
Sports on Congress stopped serving food in April. Berlin says the liquor board finally agreed to let him buy the type of license that lets him operate as a nightclub.
"With all the construction Downtown and having to deal with the slow summers, we had to close the kitchen," he says.
The people who frequent Sports say they come for the friendly service.
James Few says he goes to Sports because it's a good place to mellow out and because he's friends with the owner.
"He lets my band play here," says the Provocative Whites drummer.
Nick Sandoval says he'd been hanging out at Sports since he saw the name and thought it would be a good place to watch the Olympics.
"I like the high ceilings," he says. "And any place that serves Louis XIII is OK with me."
Louis XIII de Rémy Martin, a cognac that retails for more than $1,000 a bottle, is just one of the high-end liquors sold at Sports. The bar also sells absinthe, which recently became legal in the United States.
Watching Berlin pour a shot of absinthe is almost as much fun as drinking the stuff. The process involves setting a sugar cube ablaze and then stirring it into the pale green liquid.
"If you take two shots of it you get a really giggly, fun buzz," Berlin says.
The bar also sells PBR cans for $1. And you can get a shot of Makers Mark bourbon whiskey or Sailor Jerry Rum for $3.50.
"We try to have things on our menu that we like to drink," Berlin says.
The musical acts also reflect the owner's tastes. Berlin, who studied music theory in college, is a big hip-hop fan. On Thursday and Saturday nights, his bar is one of the only places in town where you can see live hip-hop.
Sports also has house music on Monday nights, and rock on Fridays.
It seems it's just a matter of time before Sports makes the transition from sports bar to music club.
But old habits die hard.
Berlin says he's thinking about getting DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package this fall so people can watch out-of-market football games.
"It's just a matter of whether or not people will come now that the kitchen is closed," he says.
Maybe a new name will help.
0 Comments on this story
