[OT] DC Area soccer bars? I feel like this has been covered before, but does anyone know the rhyme or reason to the minimum/cover charges and local soccer bars? Today all day at Lucky Bar, it's $10 minimum, but $10 cover for Real Madrid v. Barcelona. Maybe it's just a better game, or maybe it's pay per view? Then at Summer's, some of the UEFA games are $10 minimum, some are $10 cover, some are $15 cover, some are $20 cover. Is this based on who they're getting their feed from? Or is it arbitrary? I'm always going to be getting beer and food at the bars, so why the cover? I don't have cable (yet), but do some providers offer you more games in the DC area than others? Dish? Direct? I'm confused...thanks.
It usually has to do with the feed they're getting, and how much they have to pay for it. Different leagues and competitions have different television contracts, and certain games are pay-per-view, so some will cost more than others. For the games with the big cover charges, I usually check to see if there's a later tape delay, as those are often free. Others here can tell you about satellite packages, and about cable in other places; but as far as cable in the District goes, Starpower Digital offers Fox Sports World while Comcast does not.
Well, I stand corrected, then. Strange, because I had looked at their website a couple weeks ago and it made no mention of FSW, but I looked again just now, and there it was... D'oh!
Within DC City Limits..Comcast offers FSW because of a deal w/ AT&T,Cablevision and Comcast..Comcast can't removed FSW. But in MD,VA, its not there.
Josh covered it well in his reply but there are still some people who will come in to a bar or restaurant, watch three games and nurse two or three cokes. Cover charges at least give the bar or restaurant some source of income for showing these games. I think twenty bucks cover is a bit steep, especially if you actually order food and drink but I have no problem ponying up ten bills to see Real Madrid-Barcelona or Arsenal-Liverpool. Bill