Arts & Culture

Super Bowl mania sweeps Taiwan

Football fans pack Taiwan’s sports bars on Super Bowl day. (Photos courtesy of Portico Media)

• Publication Date：02/11/2012
• Source： Taiwan Today
• By  Rachel Chan

For a mega sports event like Super Bowl XLVI, it is not surprising to find sports bars invaded by hordes of National Football League fans, except perhaps when this football mania takes place some 12,300 kilometers away from Indianapolis—in Taipei, Taiwan.

Super Bowl frenzy hit Taipei as the game kicked off at 7:30 a.m. local time Feb. 6, with hundreds of domestic and foreign fans thronging into sports pubs to watch the match-up between the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

One such pub was the Tavern Premier, opened in 2000 by Swiss expatriate Michael Blanc, which kept its doors open throughout the preceding night and showed a full program of Super Bowl XLVI, including pregame shows and highlights of previous Super Bowls.

Matt Leonard, an American who was on a 36-hour business trip in Taiwan, told Taiwan Today that he had to squeeze time out of his tight schedule to catch all the action live from Lucas Oil Stadium.

“For Americans, the Super Bowl is kind of a tradition and everyone watches the game,” Leonard said. “There are usually a lot of funny commercials during the breaks, so even people who are not football fans watch the match for that reason.”

Leonard said since his team the San Francisco 49ers did not make it to the Super Bowl, he hoped that the Giants would walk away with the trophy because he was born in New York.

Football fans swarmed to Tavern Premier to watch the game on high-definition TVs and seven-inch satellite personal screens, as well as three huge 150-inch screens guaranteeing a clear view.

To accommodate all the drinkers, bratwurst and cheese eaters, Kim Jiang, manager of Tavern Premier, said it offered nine kinds of beer on tap, and served an all-you-can-eat Super Bowl Breakfast Buffet for NT$550 (US$18.6) per person, including a 10 percent service charge, from 6: 30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

As the Super Bowl fell on a Monday morning Taiwan time, the bar would rebroadcast the match in the evening for people who had to work, she added.

“This is the 11th year that the Tavern Premier has shown the Super Bowl live, and our coverage is second to none,” Jiang said, adding that they also showed the NFL quarterfinals and semifinals.

“We are event-based for any big sporting event and the Super Bowl is definitely one of our busiest days.”

Six Taiwanese university students experience Super Bowl frenzy in a local sports bar.

Lisa Cichocki, 45, said back in her hometown in Wisconsin, everyone is crazy about the NFL and a big fan of the Green Bay Packers.

“The NFL means everything to me. It’s just something we grew up with,” Cichocki said.

“When as a child I found out what my last name was, I already knew who the Green Bay Packers were. So it’s something you always know.”

Six local university students wearing NFL jerseys and shoulder pads came to the Tavern Premier to take part in the football frenzy.

“I came here to cheer for the Giants because the Patriots edged out my team, the Baltimore Ravens,” said Chen I-hao, 19.

Anderson Hsieh, 21, a practitioner of kick boxing, said he watches American football because it is a very exciting and powerful sport that requires both physical strength and strategy.

Justin S. Chou, a former legislator with the ruling Kuomintang, was also among the crowd gathered to watch the Super Bowl, an event he fell in love with during his student days in the U.S.

“For me it’s a bit hard to choose between the Patriots and Giants since I studied for my master’s degree in Boston and my doctorate in New York,” Chou said.

“But I really want to see Tom Brady lead the Patriots to sweet revenge for their defeat four years ago.”

Super Bowl spirits were also high across town at The Brass Monkey, one of the most popular sports pubs in Taipei, which was packed with fans early on the day of the game.

The bar was founded in 2003 by Australian Max Murphy and American Peter Chworowsky, along with six longtime friends from Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand and the U.S.

“The Super Bowl is a big day for us and very important in terms of branding,” Murphy told Taiwan Today.

“We have also been full for all the playoffs, and we see many other games and sports that get crowds like this,” he added.

A sold-out crowd watches the live Super Bowl broadcast at The Brass Monkey.

The pub, which seats some 150 to 200 people, was fully booked three weeks in advance, Murphy said, and business on Super Bowl day was expected to increase two- to threefold.

According to Murphy, tickets cost NT$500 for table reservations, including a full spread buffet breakfast to fill the fans’ rumbling empty stomachs, while walk-ins paid NT$300 for entry and a drink.

“We are doing a buffet so customers can eat at their own pace. Also it's much easier to cater for such a large number of people that way,” Murphy said.

Oliver Lin, a Taiwanese aged 32, said he hoped the Giants would win because he studied in New York.

“Although the Super Bowl is available on paid digital TV, watching it at a sports bar is more exciting because of the party atmosphere,” he said.

According to Murphy, The Brass Monkey was designed for events like the Super Bowl, providing the people of Taipei and visitors to the city with a place to enjoy their favorite sports, party hard and hang out with friends and its friendly staff.

“Lots of personal bets are placed on the Super Bowl, and people do some crazy things as a result,” Murphy said.

To add more steam to the game, a cheerleading squad performed during halftime, while there were also lucky draws and giveaways of NFL merchandise.

Nicolas Lin, marketing manager of Portico Media, the Taiwanese agent for the All Sports Network channel that broadcasts NFL games, said that in 2010 his company started organizing Super Bowl breakfast parties with local bars to promote the sport.

This year, five sports bars in Taipei joined the project, Lin said, including The Brass Monkey, Carnegie’s, Juliana, Tavern Premier and Touchdown.

While no American ads would be shown during game, Lin said, links to the Super Bowl commercials would be published on The Brass Monkey’s website later in the day.

The Super Bowl attracts both local and expatriate fans to Taiwan’s sports bars.

Bill Williams, 70, who was travelling with his wife in Taiwan for a week, said the first thing they did when they arrived was find out where they could watch the Super Bowl.

“The Super Bowl is a game we couldn’t miss,” Williams said. “Back in the U.S., it is like a national holiday for people to gather with family and friends and have a good time.”

While Williams had faith that Brady and the Patriots could beat the Giants, the result was otherwise.

Having trailed for most of the game, Eli Manning and the Giants one-upped New England once again, coming back with a last-minute touchdown for a 21-17 victory and their fourth Super Bowl title.

But Williams was not devastated. “It’s OK. We’ll make a comeback next year.” (THN)

Write to Rachel Chan at rachelchan@mail.gio.gov.tw