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Beijing barstools

Friday, 3rd April 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

The NCAA has finally gotten its act together, so you can now watch March Madness games online at mmod.ncaa.com. Unlike previous years, there's no waiting list and the quality is pretty good. This is good news if you are a college basketball fan in China, where the games don't air on TV. But there's something sort of sad about watching any major sporting competition at home alone in your pajamas, so we recommend getting up bright and early Tuesday morning to watch the finals somewhere like the Goose and Duck or Tim's Texas Barbeque (to be safe, call to confirm they'll be showing the game, as this is one of the harder events to get here).

To get ready for Final Four weekend, China Sports Today caught up with nightlife blogger Jim Boyce, of Beijing Boyce. Boyce is more of an NBA fan--he's hoping against hope that his Toronto Raptors make the NBA playoffs this year--but he takes the job of keeping up with Beijing's watering holes very seriously. Here are his some of thoughts on sports bars in China's capital city:

China Sports Today: During your time in China, what were some of your most memorable sports watching experiences?

Jim Boyce: The past two Super Bowls--for both, I sat in the Goose & Duck. Both times had lots of people watching and last-minute heroics, plus beer. The (2006) World Cup also was very good. It seemed like everywhere, not just sports bars, had a screen up and both locals and expats were out watching.

And the Olympics, of course, especially the opening ceremonies. My friend and I went to I think 30 bars the night of the open ceremonies, and it was great to see people out and excited about it. There was a lot of negativity leading up to it, and people at this point were just thinking, "Here it is," and were really excited. It was a nice change of attitude.

CST: How do you feel about watching games over breakfast, instead of chicken wings and potato skins?

Boyce: I'd prefer to watch them at night, because I'm not much of a morning person. But I think a bigger issue than the time is accesibility. I can't udnerstand why there aren't more North American sports shown in Beijing. You can find rugby, Formula 1, soccer/football everywhere, but it's almost impossible to find the NFL, MLB and NHL.

As far as getting bigger crowds, I think it's more of a habitual thing; you need to build those things up. People go to bars to watch with other people, so if you don't know you can expect people to be there, you're less likely to go. I think it's also accessibility. Some things, like NHL hockey, you just can't get here unless you're getting it online. I think there's a market there for a place specializing in showing North American sports.

CST: Which Beijing sports bar has the best coffee?

Boyce: Nobody. No one wins.

CST: Who has the best breakfast?

Boyce: I like The Den's breakfast--the eggs benedict or the standard English breakfast, which comes on a cast iron skillet. I'm a huge fan of The Den for thier pub grub in general. If you ask me which sports bar I would choose if I had to eat at it every day, it would be The Den.

CST: Who has the most reliable coverage?

Boyce: The Den is pretty good. They'll not only show games, but make up giant score sheets, and have multiple sports showing at once. The Rickshaw did very well with the baseball playoffs, and they are the only bar in Beijing that I know had the NBA channel. And the Goose & Duck, because they're open 24 hours, is a good option for watching a game any time of day. Actually, The Den is 24 hours now, too.

CST: Where do you find the best company and atmosphere?

Boyce: For me it depends on the sport. During the World Cup, the deck at the Pavilion was amazing. For NBA and baseball, I like the Rickshaw because it's a nice place to get four or five people around a table to watch the game. And for the Super Bowl, it's the Goose & Duck.

We've seen quite a few additions to the sports bar options in Beijing lately. The Stumble Inn just opened. Glen Phelan, from Paddy O'Shea's, is taking over Stadium Sports and reopening it April 10. Luga's Villa is just a year old. Blue Frog is another place to watch sports. There's a lot of new places opening, mostly in the Sanlitun area.

CST: Why do think we see so few Chinese people out watching sports in Beijing's bars?

Boyce: It's not a big cultural thing here to gather at a Western sports bar. For one, Western bars are still pretty expensive for the average Chinese. There's also a language barrier. It was interesting at the Goose & Duck for the Super Bowl; it's a pretty big place, and they had one area with the English commentary and one with the Chinese commentary. But yeah, I'd lke to see many more Chinese coming out. The Chinese are crazy about sports--you know that there are some really big fans here.

For more on Beijing's eating and drinking scene, check out Jim's blog (Beijing Boyce).

Tags: basketball, Beijing, Final Four, March Madness, sports bars