Research Blog Post (Extended, Rough Draft)

I arrive at Buster’s Sports Bar and Grill on Broadway at 8pm on Tuesday the 13th of Feb 2008. It is a cold but tolerable evening. I am also on the clock, but taking an extended “lunch-break” from work. I have chosen to do a study on the sports fan but chose to narrow it down to ones that frequent this bar to watch sporting events on TV. This will be a difficult piece for me to write objectively about, as I am a sports fan as well. I hope to answer some questions regarding some stereotypes about sports fans. Some hopefully will be a lot different than what I expect.

I enter the location and am greeted by a great looking waitress. I will find that this is a recurring theme every time I visit. She leads me over to a dining area booth. I think about objecting and opting for a seat at the bar. I figure this will be my best vantage point to observe fans watching their team(s) or just a great game in general. I digress and accept the booth instead. She drops a menu onto the table and asks if I would like something to drink. I ask for water and she stops by another table before going to the back. As I am getting my note taking materials ready, I look around to see a reasonable gathering of people in the establishment tonight. Out of the five tables in the dining area with me, only one table was seriously watching any of the games being broadcasted on the 15 televisions throughout the bar. Between the low hum of conversations by the families (none of which had small children) seated in the dining area, the shouts coming from the bar area and the cheesy rock music playing on the radio, it was tough to listen in on some conversations. The volume was liable to change at any given time depending on how many people are paying attention when a great or game changing play happens.

The table consisted of three people, a couple and another gentleman. The couple was very immersed in a mixed martial arts fight that was being shown on the largest TV in the dining area. This surprised me. It seemed like the gentleman was attempting to converse with them while they were also focused on watching the fight. I found it odd that the woman was so immersed in the fight. Within the next 5 minutes or so, her attention would wane though, and this would cost her the opportunity to see the live conclusion of the fight. One fighter landed a three-punch combo that took his opponent down. The bar area erupted in cheers, yet only the male half of the couple was paying any attention in the dining area. She jerked her head back from another TV she was watching, waiting for the inevitable replay. She cringed as the fighter went down in a bloody mess.

My waitress came back with my water and asks me if I’m ready to order. Forgetting that this would also be part of the deal with each site visit, I was unprepared with an answer. She noticed the heading of my notes included “Buster’s” and the current date/time. She asked which English class I was taking and I replied 102. I told her I had chosen this as my ethnography topic and she thought that was a good choice. I asked her if she would help me gather some information from around the bar and she was more than happy to do so. I ordered some cheese sticks and waited for her to come back with some answers. During that time I had gotten a chance to really look over the main dining area. There was a Golden Tee arcade machine that is very popular with some sports nuts, especially golfers. It also happened to be located directly behind the booth I was sitting in. My back was to a few guys taking turns on the machine. They seemed to be drinking heavily while ribbing each other after every shot. While waiting for my order, I became intrigued by the pattern that was on each of the booths. They had a series of different sports scenes stitched onto the back cushions. It looked somewhat corny and maybe 70’s or 80’s-ish, but was kind of cool none the less. I noticed that they had BSU Bronco colored awnings over the booth areas as well. The walls were covered in jerseys from past BSU Bronco greats, with some of them even autographed by the players. They also have older college football programs from the 50’s and 60’s.

It was about this time I noticed a sign on the wall. It was an older Buster’s sign that had a waitress that was dressed provocatively while holding pitchers of beer. I look over at the five waitresses working tonight and notice little difference. My waitress comes back with my appetizer and some scoops on what is going on in the bar area. Most people are watching an NCAA basketball game. I can see about a third of the area in the bar. Some engage in taunting a friend after game altering plays. One fellow is watching a Utah Jazz game. He is sitting at the bar tipping back some whiskey. He is getting really excited as they are on their way to a 20-point route. And why wouldn’t he be? He appears to be a die-hard fan with a Utah Jazz hat and a John Stockton T-shirt on. I ask my waitress if she can find out if he will be in later this week. She tells me that she doesn’t even have to ask, he will be. I hope to possibly interview him during my next visit.

I am surprised when two women walk in that were probably in their 40’s or 50’s. I wouldn’t expect them to want to dine in a place where women are more objectified than some other places. I also wouldn’t take them for sports fans either. They seem oblivious to the atmosphere though and continue their conversation in the dining area.

At this point another guy comes into the place. He has a backpack on and is being taken to another booth across the room from me. I feel a lot better about not being the only one here to get some homework done. I take that feeling to another level knowing that I am also getting paid for my time here. I now decide that I will do my 2nd site visit tonight as well, which will consist of another hour. Some people have paid little attention to me, while some are definitely aware that I have been “eyeing” them and subsequently jotting down notes. I try not to pay any attention to weird looks given back at me.

The smell of fried food and alcohol is heavy in the air. I hope my cheese sticks are on their way. I also wish I could have a Crown and Coke but I am on the clock etc. I turn my attention to the bar area as there seems to be a lot of action going on. I am watching at least some of the games that they are watching, so I’m trying to keep up with what they may be oohing and ahhing about. I see some people sporting team colors and/or gear, so they are easy to figure out. The rest of them would be a little bit harder. I notice some people cheering exclusively for underdogs, or possibly a team that their buddy’s team might be playing. Some people are also just looking for quality competition. They don’t really care about the teams that are playing, they just want to see the games played the right way and with a lot of effort.


Ok, that was the two page point and even though I can write more right now, I will stop because I’m not even sure if this is going in the direction that you are going to want etc. I’ll just wait for some feedback and figure out what to do from there. This is where testing out of 101 is going to leave me in the unknown as far as if I’m doing this right or not. That and not having a really defined set of objectives or goals for my ethnography other than trying to get a passing grade.