I went to the opening night of Gym bar last night on Eighth Avenue. It's cool. Lots of TVs with sports, pool table, friendly people. I had a great time. Anyone else been?

All I have to do is find my way to NYC. Sports bars are great in general. Gay sports bars are even better!

Several years ago there was a new bar in Chelsea called Champs. They billed themselves as the first NYC gay sports bar. It wasn't long before they were featuring drag queens on stage and those video clips of favorite gay movies even if there was a game on TV. Hope this new place makes it but it's a tough sell.

I dunno. I think these guys have gone about it the right way - doing stuff with all the local gay sports groups. It was packed and there was a line out the door Friday night (40-50 people) - but, that might have been curiosity on opening night.

Wonder if they'll get broadcasts of foreign competitions like European and Latin American soccer matches, not to mention overseas rugby and Australia Rules Football.

I couldn't find the Premiership anywhere in Philly's bars, gay or straight.

Then there's wrestling of course. How could a gay sports bar not have that?

With the no-smokes rule, NYC has already risen as a travel destination prospect for me. Philly may copy that soon hopefully and save me the travel expenses.

Great sportscasts and a smoke-free evironment. Hey that could make bars "safe" again for us sports nerds.

Maybe we could contemplate getting a group to watch the NCAA Championship game there next Monday night?

Well I think it mostly depends on the setup of the bar. I didn't think Champs was ever really marketed or intended to be real sports bar! Just another catchy name for a S&M (Stand & Model) bar for Chelsa Gym Bunnies! How is this one set up? Are there plenty of TV's and plenty of tables & seats. I think that's all you need for a good sports bar. And no dance floor! How is the smoking ban going. Haven't been back and out to a bar since it was put in place. So hard to believe no smoking at all in a NYC bar. I gotta visit soon!

This sounds like it might be a good place to hang out on visits to NYC...of course, they'll have to stay in business until I make it up there... wink

Wow, this is right down the street from me. I'll have to check it out. my first visit may be next Sunday night to watch the Yankees and the team from New England in the MLB opener on ESPN.

i hope this place makes it, but I'm not optimistic. There just doesn't seem to be that much interest in sports among NYC 'mos. I do agree, however, that Champs was never really a sports bar - it was a sports-themed bar.

Interesting ... I especially like the part about the free beer. Let's hope they don't go the way of "Champs," which did stray rather far afield from its original theme, but saw some pretty hot guys in its heyday.

I agree with you MunsonMan, NYC needs a real gay sports bar. I remember my first time at Champs seeing all these TVs showing sports related programing while dance music was blaring. None of the patrons paid any attention to the TVs. Then I wondered what the purpose of that boxing ring was off to the side. It turned out that they used it as a darkroom on certain weeknights. I guess in keeping with the sports theme, handball was being played in lieu of boxing.

In Chicago we now have CREW (open less than a year). I have to admit, I had some doubts about this place prior to it's opening <location being one concern>. But I am amazed and truly happy that it is doing SO well -- the place is always packed! And CREW is truly a sports bar...Located in the heart of Uptown, it's a state of the art sports-themed gay bar and grill - boasts great beer, tasty food and a friendly staff. Some guys just love great audio visual technology. CREW has you covered with a 92 inch screen, multiple monitors, satellite, HDTV. You’ll always find the game you want.

On Saturday, for the Illini final 8 game...it was STANDING room only, just packed with gay jocks!

A group of gay sports fans here in Orlando keep begging for a Sports Bar ...... we are tired of having to plead with the ownership of some of the bars to turn the TVs from the Sci-Fi Network to a Saturday college or Sunday afternoon NFL game..... we have a large group of guys and girls who play softball on Sunday afternoons and would love to go to a gay club and watch the games.... we now go to straight sports bars for our fix. Count your blessings that some of you have options.

I can't think of a better place to watch Sunday night's Red Sox game.

A friend of mine went to Gym the other night and had a great time. It sounds like a pretty cool place. In Boston, Fritz, the local gay sports bar has been open for years, though it is much less posh and much lower tech than Gym.