Lacey Lett: Are you ready for some football?

I’m no stranger to the madness that occurs every year in Oklahoma. It lasts nearly four months, requires a dress code of either orange or crimson, usually consists of beer, buffalo wings, large television screens and lots of hollering. Yes, Oklahoma residents are super-obsessed with college football season. I attended the University of Oklahoma, but I’m no fanatic so I’m not partial, OSU fans. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of games I’ve actually seen in person, but I can appreciate the love for the sport and more importantly, the atmosphere that surrounds the sport. It’s an event — no, scratch that: it’s a cultural tradition, and it doesn’t matter whether you are actually at the game or sitting at a bar with your friends in support of your favorite team. What matters is that you are a part of the loud social culture that inhabits the state every fall.

Here is a list of bars I recommend for those that would rather watch a game than see the backs of heads at the football stadium.

Louie’s Grill & Bar

The only Louie’s I knew about while in college was the one on campus corner in Norman. Now, they have popped up all over the state with 14 locations. My favorite has to be the one on Lake Hefner. There’s live music outside with the most amazing scenery Oklahoma City has to offer and inside it’s a completely different environment, with large flat screens throughout the restaurant. It’s laid back without being dingy so you can wear jeans, but you can also drink a raspberry lemonade cocktail (so good) without looking out of place. They have true sports bar food: pizza, nachos, fried pickles, fried cheese, quesadillas and more, and there’s nothing on the food menu over $10 and happy hour is 3 to 7 p.m. with half-price domestic beers. If you want a more authentic college experience the location in Norman is definitely the way to go. With a gazillion locations, I hope you meet your friend at the right one.

http://louies.ehsrg.com/

Republic Gastropub

It’s the one of the newest pubs in Oklahoma City, opening earlier this year. The television screens span the entire gastropub. They claim to have the best audio visual systems in the nation and with a 200-inch projection screen, I can believe it. It’s a little on the upscale side with modern architecture and a contemporary food menu, but you can watch the game on one of the dozen televisions inside or get a booth outside with your own personal flat screen television for you and your friends.

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