American Sports: Football
Hey Y’all,
If you’re like me, one of the first few worries I had after the whole moving and settling process was where I could go watch my Steelers and other NFL games. Luckily for me, I lived 2 blocks from Finbars, an Irish pub that has a history of being friendly toward the NFL crowds that gather around to watch games every Sunday of the season. Since those early days of my stay in Madrid 5 years ago, things have changed dramatically for NFL fans in the city of the Bear and the Madroño.
NFL games can now be enjoyed in many different places around the city, and surprisingly, the Superbowl has become a big party where expatriate football fans and Spanish newcomers can meet and enjoy this most American of events. If you’re new to American football the season runs from the beginning of September to the beginning of February. Games are every Sunday, one game starts at 7 p.m. Madrid time, followed by the late game which starts at 10 P.M. Thursday games are also shown, but you have to keep up with the schedule to catch those. Here are a few of my fav places to watch American football.
Finbars: The original. This place has that homey feel any good football bar has. Loads of wood, a friendly staff, game time prices and loads of other fans with you to interact with. This bar has a Sky TV satellite set up, so it shows other American sports. I became very partial to this bar because I quickly made friends with the staff, but also because it was very friendly towards requests for certain special events (college football bowl games, baseball playoffs, etc.) The place isn’t huge, so get there early to reserve a table or you’ll be stuck standing. The place also lacks a kitchen, so hot snacks are limited to what can be warmed up in a microwave, but the place is generally friendly to outside foods and pizza deliveries are usually organized at some point during the night.
Lokua: Located in the Principe Pio station, this trendy, upscale sports bar became regular hangout of mine. Lokua is not your daddy’s sports bar, it has tons of flat screen televisions, trendy modular furniture and upscale version of pub grub. So if you wanna take your uncle Butchy, the one who complains about how nobody dies on the field anymore, this might not be the right place. If you have a girlfriend, specially a Spanish one or one who isn’t too keen on watching the game, this might be a great choice. Again, this place might not apeal to hardcore sports fan, but i challenge any of them to knock the place when you’re splayed out in a comfy leather couch, munching on a gourmet pizza and your missus is actually enjoying the game.
A new place that just opened is Shamrocks. This bar is very big on American sports and will be showing NFL games every Sunday, the NBA, the MLB (Major League Baseball) playoffs, and college football games come fall. The staff is knowledgeable about sports and friendly to sports fans, so ask about scheduling to see when your team is gonna be on TV.
Also, be mindful of a few things as a football fan. The schedule of games shown isn’t set in stone. Usually popular teams and teams that are faring well get more airtime. Check every week with your favorite place to see what’s going to be on and remember schedules can change. Also, remember that as football fans you are a minority, so if a big in La Liga is on that night, be prepared for less TV’s to be showing the game, unless you’re in a bar that specifically reserves an area for Football, like the ones mentioned above do.
Again, these are just a couple of choices of places where I liked to watch games, many more places show the games now. So if you want to give kuddos or add a place to this list, please feel free to do so. So get ready for some football and enjoy.
The address of the place mentioned above.
Finbars Irish Pub
C/ Marqués De Urqijo N°10
+34 91 548 3793
Metro Argüelles
Lokua
Centro Comercial Principe Pio
Paseo de la Florida S/n Local 13-H
+34 91 7581334
Metro Principe Pio
Shamrocks
P.° Pintor Rosales N° 6
Metro Argüelles
Hi, thanks for the info. I’m going to be in Madrid this fall attending Instituto de Empresa, and I was beginning to wonder if watching my Dolphins was going to be an option. Glad to hear that there are many places to get served some homestyle sports. Do the Fins and Steelers meet this year?
Finbars friendly? Are you joking? Maybe you Americans are welcomed in that place, but for everyone else, particularly the English - this is a place you should stay away from. Without question the most RACIST bar I’ve ever encountered. However, if you’re a Celtic fan and endorse the IRA - you’ll feel right at home!
Any baseball fans know where we can watch a game? I have seen one game at O’Connell St, but they are hard to find. I have been calling around today to find the Sox Yankees game and nobody is playing it! WOuld love to know if anyone has had better luck with me. Go Sox
Steelers vs. Browns tomorrow. I’m gonna try and check out finbars, see if i get lucky.
Thank you so much for this info becuase im going to madrid for 6 weeks of football season and i was so worried about missing the Pats especially vs the colts and cowboys
Shamrocks is great football bar. Awesome bartenders and really friendly crowd. Highly recommend a visit on Sundays.