Knock-Out Profits Boxing Bouts Spur Big-Time Bar Business
By Travis Lamb
It is a universal truth that people love watching other people fight.
Women might say they hate it, and sophisticated guys may deny it, but
the popularity of boxing, both live events and televised bouts,
indicates just the opposite. What better way to induce profits than
showing two pugilists getting paid to beat the crap out of each other?
Patrons may try and refute it all they like, but they stare hypnotized
at two sweaty contenders duking it out on the big screen, you’ll see
that when the fists start flying, the cash starts flowing. As an
informed operator, get in the ring, and let the rounds begin.
The Popularity of Pugilism
One reason for boxing’s popularity in sports bars is, unlike other
sports, there is no boxing season. At any time during the year, one can
find coverage of a pair of ring-savvy fighters vying for a belt or a
wild slugfest between two under-card no-names. No matter what your
bar’s most popular sport to show is, the off-season can be more than
adequately filled with strong jabs and vicious hooks.
The obvious way to show boxing in your bar is to put it on a television
or big screen. For larger, more spacious venues, though, holding live
boxing matches is a very viable and valuable option for owners. The
thrill of attending a live fight never fails to draw.
“There’s always a big crowd,” says Phyllis Murphy, PR and events
coordinator for Joe’s Sports Bar in Chicago. “There are usually 200-300
people who show up, which is good because we have these matches on
Wednesday nights. It usually starts around 8 p.m., and there are about
three hours of bouts.” Not bad for the middle-of-the-week slump bars
can sometimes have.
With live fights, also, age usually is not a factor, as young and old
alike will turn up for fisticuff action. “It brings a wide
demographic,” Murphy says. “The crowd is pretty male-dominated, but any
age past 21 is represented. We use the stage for tiered seating and
there are tables on the floor around the ring, so people can order food
and drinks while watching the fights.”
Though this may sound complicated, there are companies and
organizations more than willing to help set up this scenario. “We don’t
actually bring the fight in,” Murphy says. “There’s a company that we
work with that basically brings the fight in. So, as far as booking the
fights and booking rounds, there’s another company that handles that.
We’re just the venue.”
Another issue reputable owners have with staging live fights is crowd
control. Granted, there have been some instances in the history of
boxing where the crowd got a little too into it and started a fracas.
However, these instances, especially with fighters nobody recognizes
and few bet on, are few and far between.
“We just have door guys for security,” Murphy says. “The fighters come
in early to weigh in, so they’ll have their managers there and maybe a
couple of friends, but pre-fight isn’t that big a deal. During the
fight, we don’t have to keep people out of the ring or anything like
that. Actually, that’s never been an issue. You would think that with a
boxing match going on, the crowd would be super-hyped, but it’s always
a pretty well-behaved audience. People come to boxing matches to have a
good time, not necessarily get all crazy, especially on a Wednesday
night.”
Let It Be Live
With screened boxing matches, the crowd always is more diverse and more
likely to stay after the fight is over. “With the pay-per-view fights
we show,” Murphy says, “the crowd is always a lot more mixed in terms
of gender. Usually, big fights are on Friday or Saturday nights, so we
have big groups of people, girls and guys, who come in, meet up here to
watch the fight, drink some, then stay for live music or whatever we
have afterward. Boxing really acts like a draw for other events on the
big nights.”
Of course, there are die-hard boxing fans that, many times, don’t get a
fair shake at sports bars showing more popular sports. If your bar
makes a lot of money from people watching “the game,” a good fight —
especially one aired early in the night — is a solid draw both for
boxing fans and for those who want to hang out before football.
“For the Friday night pay-per-view fights,” Murphy says, “you’ll get
people who come just for the fight, then stay because they’re already
in a place and drinking. Their tab is open, so they’ll stay for
whatever is going on after the fight is over.”
So, for those sports bar owners looking to separate themselves from the
crowd on weekends, or proprietors looking to give slow nights a little
pick-me-up, try getting your patrons excited about what goes on in the
squared circle. Chances are, you’ll emerge a champion. NCB
It is a universal truth that people love watching other people fight.
Women might say they hate it, and sophisticated guys may deny it, but
the popularity of boxing, both live events and televised bouts,
indicates just the opposite. What better way to induce profits than
showing two pugilists getting paid to beat the crap out of each other?
