Are sports bars just an American thing?

There was a comment on a post from my main account that got my gears turning this morning. I haven't been doing a ton of sports betting lately, so I wasn't sure what I was actually going to write this post about. Then Hive account@steevc commented on this post about how there don't seem to be a lot of sports bars in the UK. At least not his part of the UK and it got me wondering if sports bars are a wholly US thing.

Hive account@mrsbozz and I recently finished watching Ted Lasso and I know they used to watch the Soccer matches on the TV in the one pub, but it was more of a small TV up in the corner versus the large screen media overloads that you get here in the US. If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting a Buffalo Wild Wings, you probably know what I mean.

I know that Hive account@intothewild moved down to Mexico a year or two ago and started a sports bar down there, but I have to wonder if he were a Mexican native would "sports bar" be the first thing that popped into his mind or is it because of his Minnesota roots?

To be fair, I don't really know Hive account@intothewild's backstory. I just know he was living in Minnesota before he moved down to Mexico. He could have been born in Mexico for all I know. I don't expect him to doxx himself to prove my point one way or the other either.

So where does that leave us?

Right, sports bars. Are they exclusively a US thing? I guess a lot of that really depends on what is required to classify something as a sports bar.

• No less than 10 TV's with at least three of them being larger than your car?
• No less than 10 beers on tap?
• High top tables and stools with no backs so you have to keep yourself balanced all night? (note, this becomes harder the more you drink)
• A state lottery machine in the corner with pull tabs and keno slips?
• No less than ten locals at the bar who never have to place an order because the bartender just keeps a steady stream of their favorite beers heading their way (because they know it by heart)?
• A menu with at least five burgers, a club sandwich, a Reuben, chicken wings, and a wrap on it? (throw in some mozz sticks and deep fried pickles as an appetizer)
• At least four jersey's framed and hung on the wall?

I honesty don't know. As someone pointed out in the Bro Discord server a while ago, I haven't been out of the country besides Canada, and that doesn't really count. I know in the photos I have seen Hive account@slobberchops and Hive account@steevc share, a lot of the pubs over there look more like someones house that they turned into a bar than what I consider a traditional bar.

Maybe it's the fact that when people get together to drink outside the US they are more interested in sharing some good craic as versus focusing solely on a sporting event. Given the worldwide hype over soccer, I have a hard time believing that Americans are more obsessed with sports than any other country. You folks riot over your sports for gods sake.

I'm genuinely curious. Do you have sports bars in your country? What do you think makes a bar a sports bar? What's the coolest sports bar you have ever been to and what made it so special?