BSC 2019 Top 20 Countdown - #18 Keeping Chicago Watch Parties Alive
A Note From Carl - This is the 3rd entry in the Barstool Chicago Top 20 Moments of 2019 blog series. The list is coming from our perspective as 4 dudes who got the job of a lifetime exactly one year ago.
We covered this list in person at the December 20th live show. We're following it up on our podcasts to close out the year under following schedule:
#10-6: Red Line Radio 12/30
#5-1: Dog Walk 12/30
I'll be covering them on the blog one-by-one. I have no rhyme or reason to length or content other than I just want to give each one of these moments their own blog. And on a personal level, I want to hit 2020 in full stride and nothing says momentum like firing off 20 straight blogs to end the year:
#18 Keeping The Watch Party At Declan's Alive
If you know Barstool Chicago then you should know the bar Declan's. The two go together like lamb and tunafish. Maybe you prefer spaghetti and meatball. Either way the point remains that a vital part to Barstool Chicago history is the impromptu Declan's watch party starting with the original, USA vs. Russia 2014:
That's a line around the block for a bar that typically opens on Saturdays at 10:30/11 with legal capacity in serious jeopardy and it's the foundation why we love this place.
So many memories. So many watch parties. I think our collective win% at watch parties after The TJ Oshie Shootout is a solid 25% but that doesn't stop us. They keep coming and so do the good times at the same bar that's been supporting local Barstool watch parties for almost 6 years now. SIX YEARS.
Crazy to think how much has changed since that time which is why this checks in at #18 for us. It's more of a promise that no matter how big Barstool gets and what changes, as longs as there is a Barstool Chicago then there will be watch parties for the diehards at Declan's. If that's a random NCAA regional and WSD just wants to get together and watch baseball, so be it:
If it's the Blackhawks drafting someone Chief hates, let's rock and roll
Granted we've mixed in some other spots like Joes on Weed and some Wrigley classics. But the overall theme is that we very much want to be a grassroots Barstool Chicago. A place you feel like you can get hammered with us because you have, on several occasions at one of the several designated parties we throw to do just that. It's in our DNA as Barstool Chicago and we know Big Cat wouldn't have it any other way. The only thing missing now for 2020 is getting respectable teams that deserve watch parties to begin with but that's a different story. For now, we're putting our collective efforts of organizing Chicago sports agony at #18.
Up Next #17: St. Patrick's Day Got Rowdy