By Andrew Hornback

For six Saturdays every fall, Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium is where many University of Louisville football fans spend their time, cheering on their favorite team. Each home football game is, of course, preceded by the student version of a pre-game warm up: tailgating. But for those students who don’t follow the typical Saturday routine, or simply don’t have a ticket, what are the alternatives?
“I usually spend game days at Champions Sports Bar downtown,” said junior chemistry major Shawn DiMartile. “The atmosphere there is awesome. It’s almost like you’re watching the game in your living room with a hundred or so of your friends.”
Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant, located at 280 W. Jefferson St., is a restaurant decorated with sports memorabilia and filled with flat-screen televisions. It serves all the food a football fanatic craves—from barbecue to Philly cheesesteak. But Champions isn’t the only hot location for students.
“Cardinal Hall of Fame Café is definitely where it’s at,” said sophomore undecided major Jonathan Falcone. “It’s not only got the best wings close to campus, but seeing all the old Louisville sports memorabilia is really neat. You get to eat, learn the history of the team and watch them, all at once.”
Whether or not these venues can provide the excitement of actually being at a game is still open for debate.
“I think the feeling you get while at a restaurant is just as intense,” said sophomore English major Ryan Khuri. “I mean, you have to realize you are in a place packed with other sports fanatics, watching the game on 10 or so televisions. It’s really an electric atmosphere, and I think some people prefer it over going to the game, because of traffic and other issues.”
While the quality of food at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium would have a tough time living up to that of a restaurant, some students would rather skip meals than not attend the game.
“I remember once I lost a ticket to the West Virginia game and went and watched it at Applebee’s,” said sophomore biology major J.T. Pedley. “While the food there was better than the nachos at Papa John’s [Cardinal Stadium], I realized that I’d rather not eat all day than not be at the stadium with my friends.”
There are even the select few who enjoy both experiences to the extent that they alternate between them on game day.
“I usually switch it up,” said sophomore psychology major Wes Troutman. “I really like going to Wick’s Pizza and watching games, because they have special deals on game day and the pizza is so great. But I’ve noticed that going to the actual games is one of the best experiences I’ve had so far in college.”
While there will likely never be a consensus on whether to go to the game or to a local restaurant, sports fans seem to agree that as long as you’re watching and cheering for the Cardinals, it doesn’t matter where you are.
 “Louisville is a great city for collegiate sports,” said senior communication major Josh Harp. “I’ve visited and eaten at many sports restaurants and love them all. I’ve also attended many games, and have never had a bad experience. The important thing to me is having a good time and cheering my school to victory.”