Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Sports & Social is like your typical sports and gaming tavern—with one notable exception. The 30-foot TV.
Yes, it’s 30 feet from corner to corner. It’s so big, its 1080-pixel glory had to be assembled in foot-by-foot blocks. It’s so big, it makes the six 90-inch TVs surrounding it look pocket-sized. It’s so big, the tavern’s general manager, Robert Sweers, claims it’s the “biggest TV in Atlanta.”
“When the Falcons start back up—when they go back to the Super Bowl this year and win this one—if you don’t have a ticket to the Super Bowl, you’re going to want to watch [the game] on this TV,” Sweers says.
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Located in the plaza just outside of SunTrust Park, the establishment is built for watching sports. Whether it be UGA or Georgia Tech, the Falcons, the Braves, the Hawks, or Atlanta United, patrons can pack in and enjoy the game from the first-floor pit (where, to be honest, that gigantic screen does start to look pixelated) or from the second-floor balcony.
But obviously, not everyone at the bar is there to watch the same game. That’s why there’s plenty of other TVs on both floors, indoors and out. I started to count the number of TVs at the bar’s grand opening last week, and once I reached 30, I stopped keeping track. If there’s a televised sporting event you don’t want to miss—basketball, soccer, hockey, boxing, curling—you’re not going to miss a single detail of it.
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
According to Sweers, Sports & Social’s target demographic is the 28 to 40 crowd, but even kids are able to enjoy their time at the pub thanks to its assortment of games (although after 10 p.m., the venue becomes 21 and older only). Foosball, bubble hockey, Skee-Ball, table tennis, shufflepuck, water pong, even casino games like blackjack and roulette fill every corner of the bar’s two stories. Perhaps most impressive is the golf simulator—a station where up to four people can play an 18-hole round of golf without having to walk more than five feet.
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Photograph by Joe Reisigl
Besides its standout features, the bar’s ambience is that of a traditional sports bar. Its menu, which Sweers said will expand in May, has your classic collection of grub—chicken wings, nachos, pretzels, burgers, salads—at prices that are fair enough for its location. With three full-service bars, modern pop and classic rock blaring through the audio system, and even a stage for bands on the second floor, the tavern has the fun feel Sweers says he wants for Sports & Social visitors.
“We want to be the nightlife for this area,” he said. “We’re going to make 99.99999 percent of people who come through this door happy.”
