best college sports bar

[mcgeez8]

this blog http://redshirtfiles.blogspot.com/  is doing a contest to find the best college sports bar.  It would be good if we could get some votes for marquette bars on campus or in everyone's respected cities.  Submit your suggestions to redshirtfiles@gmail.com

[OneMadWarrior]

Out of respect for sports bars in general there is not a decent one even close to the marquette campus. In fact, if anyone can egt Fr. Wild to loosen his restriction up someone could build a real good one there and do pretty well but it will never happen. If anyone says the annex I will find them and punch them in the face.

[🏀]

The Annex.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Out of respect for sports bars in general there is not a decent one even close to the marquette campus. In fact, if anyone can egt Fr. Wild to loosen his restriction up someone could build a real good one there and do pretty well but it will never happen. If anyone says the annex I will find them and punch them in the face.

While I agree that the atmosphere at the Annex is sometimes stale... it's really not the the Annex's fault.

They have bowling, pool, darts, cheap beer, golden tee, lots of tv's, decent food, cool memorabilia, etc. 

If you were building a "new sports bar" around campus, it would basically use the same formula as the Annex... so why would the new place it be more successful in the long run?

I guess it's fair to say the Annex could use some updates... but for the most part the venue is pretty good when you think about it.

[🏀]

While I agree that the atmosphere at the Annex is sometimes stale... it's really not the the Annex's fault.

They have bowling, pool, darts, cheap beer, golden tee, lots of tv's, decent food, cool memorabilia, etc. 

If you were building a "new sports bar" around campus, it would basically use the same formula as the Annex... so why would the new place it be more successful in the long run?

I guess it's fair to say the Annex could use some updates... but for the most part the venue is pretty good when you think about it.

Now that I think about it, you're right. Not to mention the minimal sunlight to determine time and/or eye irritation during day drinking, the Annex is a decent layout.

If it weren't University owned and if it weren't filled with that crowd...

[reinko]

Now that I think about it, you're right. Not to mention the minimal sunlight to determine time and/or eye irritation during day drinking, the Annex is a decent layout.

If it weren't University owned and if it weren't filled with that crowd...

That crowd?  Are you talking about the dorks that work full time as AMU employees?  I remember those guys LOVING to drink at the Annex. 

And let's not forget the Annex's sweet SportCourt.

[🏀]

That crowd?  Are you talking about the dorks that work full time as AMU employees?  I remember those guys LOVING to drink at the Annex. 

And let's not forget the Annex's sweet SportCourt.

Exactly, it was quite possibly one of the worst formed cliques at Marquette.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

If it weren't University owned and if it weren't filled with that crowd...

Part of me agrees with this, and part of me doesn't.

I mean, if the university sold it tomorrow... what would you change? Drink specials? Menu? Is there really something wrong? I don't think that MU owning it really makes it a bad establishment.

However, I have to admit that with a space that large, a private owner could promote and run some pretty cool/wild promos and events that would draw students in (stuff the university would never allow)... but those types of things wouldn't really effect the day to day operations of the venue.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Exactly, it was quite possibly one of the worst formed cliques at Marquette.

ah ha.

ok, well, now I know what you are really talking about.

[MU B2002]

And let's not forget the Annex's sweet SportCourt.

I took part in some sweet floor hockey battles on that court.

[LON]

MU vs. Kentucky in 2003 was a blast at the Annex

[TallTitan34]

I was told somewhere it was turning into a World of Wings but I don't know if that's true or not.

I think the Annex has potential if the right things are changed.

[Skatastrophy]

MU vs. Kentucky in 2003 was a blast at the Annex

It was better at Murph's.  The only reason people were at the Annex was because Murph's and Caff's were full (besides MUs Facility Services staff, they're the Annex regulars).

[Chili]

I was told somewhere it was turning into a World of Wings but I don't know if that's true or not.

Not happening.

[LON]

It was better at Murph's.  The only reason people were at the Annex was because Murph's and Caff's were full (besides MUs Facility Services staff, they're the Annex regulars).

That and I was a freshman and although I didn't have trouble getting into Caffs/Murphs every once in a while, my ID worked much better at the Annex.

Talk about "blowing your load early" for college sports experiences...

[Skatastrophy]

Talk about "blowing your load early" for college sports experiences...

At least you were at school for it.  That Final Four run was the cherry on top of my Senior year.  It would be sad to have to go back through 4 years at university without a deep NCAA run like that (I don't mean to throw it in other's faces, but it really was the highlight of my time at MU).

[Ari Gold]

Oh my... the annex menu. I think I've been to that place 6 times throughout my college career. After eating with there my friends a few times and having violent reactions akin to passing fiberglass, the term "getting annexed" was coined to describe the experience. Todd Vicker was not happy when he heard this.

Apperantly for some, the golden tee makes up for this

[drewm88]

Not happening.

My friend waitresses there. She says it's happening. Everything will basically be the same except some signage and the menu will be slightly different apparently. Chili, do you know that that's changed? She told me about it about 3 weeks ago, but that's all I've heard.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

If they are going to have some kind of all-wings or wings-focused menu, I hope for their sake they improve from the current lot of wings. I've been at the Annex with Ari Gold and experienced getting annexed about half an hour or so after leaving.

If they aren't BWW quality, it's not even worth the attempt. People walk 20 minutes to St. Paul street to get a real burger at Sobelman's despite the "options" around campus. They'll continue to walk/drive to BWW on Water if these aren't good.

[OneMadWarrior]

Its a bad sports bar simply because when I would go in there with a buddy to request NFL games, they didn't' have all the games on there. They had the bears, the packers, and then it was first come first serve and inevitably you'd get the one Arizona cardinals fan at the school and be subject to their awfulness. Pure and simple to be the best you need to offer a little more then 4 NFL ticket games a week. Where were my Hokies games, where were the Philadelphia Eagles? The food was crap even for college food, too expensive, and the beer selection sucked. I worked at Gametime (equally awful unless you knew the owner) and they did things badly as well. But the annex generally far surpassed them in every category of awfulness. Now Madison has many flaws but State St. Brats is definitely a much better sports bar then anything Marquette (or Milwaukee) had to offer.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Its a bad sports bar simply because when I would go in there with a buddy to request NFL games, they didn't' have all the games on there. They had the bears, the packers, and then it was first come first serve and inevitably you'd get the one Arizona cardinals fan at the school and be subject to their awfulness. Pure and simple to be the best you need to offer a little more then 4 NFL ticket games a week. Where were my Hokies games, where were the Philadelphia Eagles? The food was crap even for college food, too expensive, and the beer selection sucked. I worked at Gametime (equally awful unless you knew the owner) and they did things badly as well. But the annex generally far surpassed them in every category of awfulness. Now Madison has many flaws but State St. Brats is definitely a much better sports bar then anything Marquette (or Milwaukee) had to offer.

I thought you could get any game you wanted in the booths... has that changed?

[LON]

Its a bad sports bar simply because when I would go in there with a buddy to request NFL games, they didn't' have all the games on there. They had the bears, the packers, and then it was first come first serve and inevitably you'd get the one Arizona cardinals fan at the school and be subject to their awfulness. Pure and simple to be the best you need to offer a little more then 4 NFL ticket games a week. Where were my Hokies games, where were the Philadelphia Eagles? The food was crap even for college food, too expensive, and the beer selection sucked. I worked at Gametime (equally awful unless you knew the owner) and they did things badly as well. But the annex generally far surpassed them in every category of awfulness. Now Madison has many flaws but State St. Brats is definitely a much better sports bar then anything Marquette (or Milwaukee) had to offer.

St. Street Brats better than any Milwaukee sports bar?!?

You have to be kidding, unless you assigned the grade after seeing Stocco (and other UW football players) working there after college.

[OneMadWarrior]

I thought you could get any game you wanted in the booths... has that changed?

Well between 2000-2004 no.

[OneMadWarrior]

St. Street Brats better than any Milwaukee sports bar?!?

You have to be kidding, unless you assigned the grade after seeing Stocco (and other UW football players) working there after college.

Name one as good with as many large TV's and opportunities to see college aged girls bombed, lots of TV's some good beer resonable prices and the like. Trust me I struggle to say this, but sports bars in general can be real weak sauce.

[Chili]

Name one as good with as many large TV's and opportunities to see college aged girls bombed, lots of TV's some good beer resonable prices and the like. Trust me I struggle to say this, but sports bars in general can be real weak sauce.

Fantatics and Zims are both better than Brats.

[Skatastrophy]

Fantatics and Zims are both better than Brats.

Truth.

[🏀]

Fantatics and Zims are both better than Brats.

Zims is really nice.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Name one as good with as many large TV's and opportunities to see college aged girls bombed, lots of TV's some good beer resonable prices and the like. Trust me I struggle to say this, but sports bars in general can be real weak sauce.

Alright, what would you change about the annex?

I'm by no means the "annex defender", but I think the facility pretty good, the food is ok (just standard bar food), and the beer is cheap (the cheapest on campus last time I was down there).

Not sure what else you guys are looking for on a college campus. Do you want to be like more like Zims, but then have to charge $7-8 per pitcher of beer?

What would you realistically change to make it a good COLLEGE sports bar?

I'll start (these are some generic ideas that could probably be said about most bars):
- Improve the food quality and consistency-possibly develop some decent "signature items"... I don't think there is anything drastically wrong with the menu, probably just the training and consistency of the kitchen staff.
- Keep the beer cheap
- Update the table and chairs... they are functional, but could use an update (this is minor)
- Remodel the sport court area to make it brighter and more welcoming... seems like a dungeon back there

[OneMadWarrior]

Alright, what would you change about the annex?

I'm by no means the "annex defender", but I think the facility pretty good, the food is ok (just standard bar food), and the beer is cheap (the cheapest on campus last time I was down there).

Not sure what else you guys are looking for on a college campus. Do you want to be like more like Zims, but then have to charge $7-8 per pitcher of beer?

What would you realistically change to make it a good COLLEGE sports bar?

I'll start (these are some generic ideas that could probably be said about most bars):
- Improve the food quality and consistency-possibly develop some decent "signature items"... I don't think there is anything drastically wrong with the menu, probably just the training and consistency of the kitchen staff.
- Keep the beer cheap
- Update the table and chairs... they are functional, but could use an update (this is minor)
- Remodel the sport court area to make it brighter and more welcoming... seems like a dungeon back there

-Stadium seating in front of Big Screen TV's
-More promotions involving Sports other then those from the University
-More Big Screen TV's in General
-A Secondary Bar other then the main one in the middle.
-Better lookign Waitress
-Not all the beer has to be cheap even though I am pretty sure We drank very keg of Icehouse Murphy's ever had.
- A non sysco choice of food that has all the staples of a great sports bar.
-Promote the thing better its never any fun when no one is there.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

-Stadium seating in front of Big Screen TV's
-More promotions involving Sports other then those from the University
-More Big Screen TV's in General
-A Secondary Bar other then the main one in the middle.
-Better lookign Waitress
-Not all the beer has to be cheap even though I am pretty sure We drank very keg of Icehouse Murphy's ever had.
- A non sysco choice of food that has all the staples of a great sports bar.
-Promote the thing better its never any fun when no one is there.

Those are pretty fair.

I'm not sure how you would do stadium seating without a major remodel, but there's probably a way to do something a little different.

As far as promoting other sports not from MU, I don't really care about that. It's an MU bar, on MU's campus. I can't blame them for being "MU centric". I guess they could generically promote college football or something, but I don't think that really matters to the majority of students. If you want to find a Hokies game, it might be on, it might not. I think most people can live with that. It's not a sportsbook.

Cheap beer vs good beer is a tough debate. Again, this is a COLLEGE bar, so is there a real need/demand for the Annex to carry upscale/exotic craft beers? Uhhh... maybe... but the crowd that likes those beers probably also enjoys venturing off campus to find them. Are there students that are going to get excited to go sit in the Annex to drink "good" beer? I mean, there might be, but realistically the Annex is just a college bar, not a destination for people to drink authentic oatmeal/chocolate/meatball/bacon pilsner stout. There is nothing wrong with those types of beers... but my guess is that Sugar Maple has a lot more success with them than the Annex ever would.

I guess I just always enjoyed the Annex for what it was (a basic college sports bar), and never really thought a ton about "what it should be" (until now)

"-Promote the thing better its never any fun when no one is there."

- I agree with this, but MU owns the place, so you aren't going to see a lot of "edgy" programing/promotions. I always thought it would be cool to have a "sleepover" on the sportcourt for St. Pat's. You could bring a tent and sleep there and the bar would open back up at 530am. It's a cool idea... but MU would NEVER allow that.

[Hards Alumni]

bar olympics... do it.

[Aughnanure]

Alright, what would you change about the annex?

I'm by no means the "annex defender", but I think the facility pretty good, the food is ok (just standard bar food), and the beer is cheap (the cheapest on campus last time I was down there).

Not sure what else you guys are looking for on a college campus. Do you want to be like more like Zims, but then have to charge $7-8 per pitcher of beer?

What would you realistically change to make it a good COLLEGE sports bar?

I'll start (these are some generic ideas that could probably be said about most bars):
- Improve the food quality and consistency-possibly develop some decent "signature items"... I don't think there is anything drastically wrong with the menu, probably just the training and consistency of the kitchen staff.
- Keep the beer cheap
- Update the table and chairs... they are functional, but could use an update (this is minor)
- Remodel the sport court area to make it brighter and more welcoming... seems like a dungeon back there

How about actual service where I don't wait an hour for my wings or they don't completely botch the order.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

How about actual service where I don't wait an hour for my wings or they don't completely botch the order.

See the first thing I wrote, I think that pretty much covers getting your issue.

"- Improve the food quality and consistency-possibly develop some decent "signature items"... I don't think there is anything drastically wrong with the menu, probably just the training and consistency of the kitchen staff."

[LON]

Name one as good with as many large TV's and opportunities to see college aged girls bombed, lots of TV's some good beer resonable prices and the like. Trust me I struggle to say this, but sports bars in general can be real weak sauce.

If you really want to see the scantily clad drunk college girls at Madison you should just go to the KK

[Hards Alumni]

I heard they are losing their liquor license...

[LON]

I heard they are losing their liquor license...

It definitely wouldn't surprise me

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

That would be sad if true.

I doubt MU would let anybody else come in and own/run that space... but if they do lose their license, they should probably let somebody else come in and own/run the Annex as it would be obvious that MU just doesn't have the right people in place to successfully operate it's own sports bar.

[GGGG]

At least you were at school for it.  That Final Four run was the cherry on top of my Senior year.  It would be sad to have to go back through 4 years at university without a deep NCAA run like that (I don't mean to throw it in other's faces, but it really was the highlight of my time at MU).

Hell, when I was in school we never made the NCAA tournament.  <sob>

[Hards Alumni]

That would be sad if true.

I doubt MU would let anybody else come in and own/run that space... but if they do lose their license, they should probably let somebody else come in and own/run the Annex as it would be obvious that MU just doesn't have the right people in place to successfully operate it's own sports bar.

I was referring to the KK, not the annex

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I was referring to the KK, not the annex

ah ha.

I stand corrected.

[BrewCity83]

I was referring to the KK, not the annex

That, too, would be sad.  Not for me anymore, but for all of the Kommie Kids.