As the Kansas Jayhawks take a 20-point lead over Iowa State, the Kansas faithful stand up and cheer “Rock Chalk Jayhawk! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!” over and over again.
But Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore. You’re in Kincade’s, a Lincoln Park sports bar.
“This is the closest we can get to Lawrence without actually going to Lawrence,” says 26-year-old Adrienne LeFevre, surrounded by a group of Kansas alumni who have adopted the watering hole, located at 950 W. Armitage Ave., as their home away from home for Jayhawks games.
On any college basketball game day, this scene plays out at bars all over the City of Chicago, and in some suburbs. If you want to be true to your school, chances are there’s some place around town to get your hoops Jones on. If a game from a certain region–
Arizona or UCLA from the West Coast or maybe Mississippi State down south–isn’t televised by the networks or on cable, just head some place with a satellite dish and a loyal following.
Transplanted North Carolina fans looking for others who bleed Tar Heel blue head over to Lakeview’s Hi-Tops, 3551 N. Sheffield Ave. Clemson backers anxious to see how their surprising Tigers will fare against ACC foes reserve a corner at Gamekeepers, 345 W. Armitage Ave. That’s also where you’ll find the Maryland faithful drinking beers alongside Kentucky’s local contingent.
What’s the school-bar connection? Often, the allegiance is a spillover from local alumni associations’ game-watching parties (often during football season) and various events (many listed on the schools’ Web sites). In some instances, the connection is the bar owners themselves, who have a tie to a school.
And it’s that connection that makes these places more attractive than, say, the ESPN Zone in River North, which despite catering to sports fans still comes across as a tourist trap.
“When you go to a place like Gamekeepers, you are there with people you know,” says 24-year-old Katie Wallace, of the University of Missouri’s Chicago alumni chapter “It’s smaller, cozier and intimate, which makes places like that more a draw. ESPN Zone is just too big.”
Of course, Chicago is Big Ten country, so there are plenty of places to don your Illinois orange (Parkway Tavern, 748 W. Fullerton Ave.), Indiana red (Joe’s, 940 W. Weed), or Iowa gold (Sedgwick’s, 1935 N. Sedgwick St.).
And if you happen to be crazy about head coach Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans, there are quite a few “Izzones” around town. Probably the two best places to catch Michigan State games are Higgin’s Tavern–a cozy neighborhood pub located at 3259 N. Racine Ave.–or the Gin Mill, 2462 N. Lincoln Ave. Higgin’s gets crowded fairly early on game day. The Gin Mill, which can accommodate a large Spartan contingent, can get, well, pretty out-of-hand.
“I love going to the Gin Mill,” says 67-year-old Ron Teuber, who helps the local Michigan State alumni chapter put together all kinds of events. “The crowd is pretty rowdy. I don’t mind that at all.”
There’s one local spot owned by a pair of former Michigan State fraternity brothers, the Union (2858 N. Halsted St.), which bills itself as “Chicago’s home of the Big Ten.” When the conference schedule picks up, the joint becomes a melting pot of Big Ten colors, especially on Saturdays.
“We don’t specialize in any one Big Ten school,” says bartender Jason Morris. “So we get a lot of people.”
Strangely, the Union seems to be decorated with memorabilia from every school but Michigan State. On the walls surrounding the 8 TVs and 2 giant screens you’ll find banners touting Indiana soccer and Michigan hockey, along with pictures of former Indiana coach Bobby Knight and Illinois’ 1989 Final Four “Flyin’ Illini” team.
With all the Big Ten fans mixing together, you’d expect trouble. Not so, says Morris.
“Nothing but a few, `Your team [stinks]’ or `Overrated!’ ” he says. “But no fistfights, although a lot of people are just here to cheer against the opposing team.”
Things can get out of hand when fans of some schools cross paths. For instance, you’ll probably never catch the Kansas and Missouri faithful sitting quietly while watching their Big 12 rivals play.
“Missouri fans are, uh–I’ll just say they’re fanatics,” says Gamekeepers’ owner Dave Svoboda. “They are here regularly–it doesn’t matter who they’re playing. If you had to compare them to any other fans, I’d say the closest are Indiana fans.”
Or, maybe, Kansas fans, who can’t stand Missouri fans.
“That is a rivalry that is never going away,” says Missouri alum Katie Wallace. “Kansas fans and Missouri fans won’t even look at each other. We won’t step foot in Kincade’s on Kansas-Missouri game day.”
Which suits Kansas fans just fine. “Missouri fans are the worst!” says 27-year-old Tony Largo, Kansas class of 1999. “They are so obnoxious. They just come in here to get on our nerves.”
How did Kincade’s, located at 950 W. Armitage Ave., become the haven for Jayhawks? Part-owner Kevin Hillerman is a KU grad, and that’s why the most fanatical of the bunch get a private room in the back of the bar. Some fans sometimes show up four hours before a game to ensure they get the prime tables in front of the giant screen.
Largo and his friends, including LeFevre and 27-year-old Tony Wagner, even have a pregame ritual: a shot of vodka before tip-off, complete with a toast of “Rock Chalk Jayhawk.” They do another shot at half-time, “if things didn’t go well in the first half,” Wagner says. They sit at the same table, unless the Jayhawks lose. Then they sit some place else.
It’s the same ritual they had back in Lawrence.
“Kansas basketball is like a religion,” Largo says. “It’s like my family, my faith and Kansas basketball, in that order.”
You’re not alone, dude.
The starting eight
A few favorite places to watch college hoops.
SCHOOL: Kansas
HANGOUT: Kincade’s Bar & Grill, 950 W. Armitage Ave., 773-348-0010.
COMMENTARY: As if the main bar wasn’t enough, Jayhawks fans also get their own private room with banners.
SCHOOL: Indiana
HANGOUT: Joe’s, 940 W. Weed St., 312-337-3486.
COMMENTARY: So many Hoosiers, they sometimes have to bring out the heated tent. Bob Knight couldn’t throw a chair without hitting a fan on game day.
SCHOOL: Missouri
HANGOUT: 345 W. Armitage Ave., 773-549-0400.
COMMENTARY: Gamekeepers, Brace yourself. Mizzou fans get there early and stay all day. They’re as passionate about hoops as Coach Quin Snyder is about his hair.
SCHOOL: North Carolina
HANGOUT: Hi-Tops, 3551 N. Sheffield Ave., 773-348-0009.
COMMENTARY: So much Tar Heel blue, M.J.’s head would spin.
SCHOOL: Illinois
HANGOUT: Parkway Tavern, 748 W. Fullerton Ave., 773-327-8164.
COMMENTARY: For Big Ten games, this place rocks like a bar just off the school’s Champaign campus.
SCHOOL: Marquette
HANGOUT: Schoolyard, 3258 N. Southport Ave., 773-528-8226.
COMMENTARY: The Golden Eagles faithful come out in droves on game days.
SCHOOL: Michigan State,
HANGOUT: The Gin Mill, 2462 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-549-3232.
COMMENTARY: Get there early if you want a seat in Chicago’s “Izzone.”
SCHOOL: Kentucky
HANGOUT: Joe’s (see Indiana).
COMMENTARY: Big games have a Kentucky Derby party feel.
Honorable mention
HANGOUT: The Union, 2858 N. Halsted St., 773-755-9870.
COMMENTARY: All Big Ten, all the time(and, yes, we can all get along).
— Terry Armour
