Where's your seat?

The big game is on, and you have a decision to make, where to watch the game.  3 options stare you in the face, go to the game and see it in person.  Head to the local sports bar and watch it with throngs of other fellow fans, or watch it in your man cave at home.  What do you do?

All 3 are great options.  First going to the game.  You are with around 70,000 fellow fans.  Tailgating, the smell of meat grilling at 7am (if you’re at a Big Ten early game) the socializing, the bean bags and tossing the ball around.  Oh and the beer.  I still get goose bumps the first time I walk up the ramp at Kinnick Stadium each year.  I’ve been to over 100 Iowa games, loved going to everyone, well maybe not the 1990 Iowa-Ohio State BOBBY FRICKEN OLIVE!  But I really miss my season tickets.  What I don’t miss, the 2 hour drive back home from Iowa City.  About Grinnell to Baxter on I-80 I just dread the drive.  And even getting into Altoona I just wanna be home. 

If you don’t have a ticket,  what to do?  Go to a sports bar?  Most sports bars on big game days are packed, especially on NFL Sundays and Saturdays if your team is good.  I know a lot of Hawk fans that go to sports bars and watch.  Last night for the Bears-Packers game I went to 34’s in Ankeny for my first game at a sports bar in a while.  Had a blast with the Des Moines Sports Freaks and their watch party.  Helped that the game was great, and the Bears won!  You get to hang out with friends and other fans in front of plenty of others.  The food and beer always tastes better when you’re not cleaning it up too right?  And you don’t have the long drive home.

This isn't my man cave - fyi

Then there is home.  The ManCave!  How many of you dream of getting your house, and right away think of what is my man cave going to be like?  How big of TV?  A bar? Surround sound, and the perfect seating.  What memorabilia to put up in it.  How much more can I buy!  I have mine (though it’s getting reduced a bit).  I have all my Hawkeye garb around.  My Bears stuff and Cubs stuff up too.  My Hayden Fry bobble head next to JoePa and Woody Hayes.  The Ditka’s table cloth up and my authentic Kinnick Stadium replica.  Oh and my 42in wide screen with surround sound.  (insert Tim the tool man Taylor grunts).  I’m home, I just have to turn on the tub, and sit down and relax.  Got my food cheaper than at the bar.  6 beers for the cost of 2.  Oh, and the DVR!  Rewind, Oh and the DVR!  Also if I want to hear the announcers I can hear them most the time when I want too.  And no line at the bathroom.  Plus I get to brainwash, I mean watch with my son too.  I cheer he cheers, I swear he swears (we are working on this).  Then there’s also no drive home, and you can also flip to any other game you want too.  Plus there.

You can probably see which one I prefer now.  Staying at home.  But don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the other two also, a lot.  And if anyone has a ticket they wanna give up for the Iowa-Penn State game, hello!  Hawk fan here!  If not, I’ll be watching at home with my son.  His first game he watched with me was the 2008 Iowa-Penn State game!  Pretty memorable.  So hopefully he will be 3-0 lifetime vs. PSU after this week. 

So where’s your seat at?