For American football fans living in Prague, finding the Sunday night gridiron fix is a tall order with scattered options and venues that show the late games.
There are a few different bars that play American football games on Sundays. Third Coast Pizza, located in Žižkov, plays games on Sundays, but they close at 22:00, before even the early kickoffs finish. They are also closed on Mondays, meaning the Sunday night and Monday night games are unavailable to watch.
The same can be said about Wingz, a chicken wing spot in Holešovice that suffers from the same problem. This leads to a devastating cliffhanger for fans.
While this does not work for those who may have fantasy leagues and need to catch all the action, the atmosphere defines the experience. Lots of American fans pack into the place, with beer and cheap food bountiful. It is easy to find a fellow fan to talk smack about your favorite teams, why referees suck and should be replaced by robots, or how the cameras seem to be showing more Taylor Swift than football in recent games.
For those who like a quiet environment or don’t want to leave the house on a Sunday night, going to a bar is not an ideal option. Sitting at home in a comfy chair with snacks is another great way to enjoy sports. This is where the NFL Game Pass comes in handy.
The NFL has collaborated with DAZN to distribute the NFL Game Pass to fans in Europe, which, while convenient, has downsides. The Game Pass is a whopping 4450 CZK for the entire season, an unaffordable snag for most people, especially students.
For the average fan who only wants to watch one game, Game Pass is a massive overkill. This is probably the best option for those avid fans absorbed in all the action or who want detailed statistics and analysis. It shows all scoring plays, which is perfect for fantasy football gurus, though perhaps the greatest advantage is that it records everything.
Thursday night, Sunday night, and Monday night football games are aired at 2:15 in the morning, so for those who work the next day, the Game Pass is a necessary feature. Unfortunately, the price tag will force many students out. It is cheaper to have a Netflix subscription for a year, 3108 CZK, than to get the GamePass.
Of course, there is another, less legal, option. There are a lot of websites that stream NFL games illegally if one knows where to look. It takes just a computer and a handy HDMI cord to put the games on a big screen. Naturally, these streams tend to fluctuate in quality and sometimes get taken down as corporations want to protect their copyright and do not want to lose out on money.
Many options exist for students looking to catch an NFL game in Prague. Depending on what you are looking for, chances are there is someone or something out there for everyone.
