As you know, I'm far from a Dodgers fan, and seeing them fall apart so completely last night against the Phillies - well, that was pretty fun. But from what I'm hearing, one of the biggest, most popular sports bars in the LA area is sticking it to Dodgers fans even harder than I would endorse. Several sources have told me that Big Wangs North Hollywood - the recently-opened offshoot of the popular Big Wangs sports bar in Hollywood - has banned anyone from wearing Dodger gear, whether the team is playing or not.
But here's the kicker - when you go down tomorrow night for the Phillies/Dodgers game, you can wear a Phillies hat, jersey, shirt...hell, you can show up as the Phillie Phanatic for all they care, and that won't be a problem. But God help you if you have any Dodgers apparel on. You know, the most popular team in Los Angeles?
The story is that there was a fight at the bar last weekend, and the instigator had a Dodgers cap on. So the management decided to be completely logical and measured in their response, by banning any Dodger apparel of any kind in the bar.
I've heard of clubs banning sports wear, but that's usually either to enforce a dress code or to eliminate gang colors. But a sports bar? In North Hollywood? And if you are going to specifically target one team, do you really want to upset Dodger fans? They are acting as if the problem wasn't that an oafish, drunken Dodger fan got into a fight, but that an oafish, drunken Dodger fan got into a fight because he had a Dodgers hat on. Which is lunacy.
I called Big Wangs North Hollywood and spoke to a waitress/bartender who confirmed everything I had been told. Her line was "you can't take the punk out of the jersey, but you can...you know...take the jersey out of the punk, or whatever." I'm sure she's a sweet girl, probably with big melons.
I've never heard of a sports bar banning the apparel of their hometown team, especially when that team is in the playoffs. Needless to say, there are a lot of pissed off Dodger fans who are vowing never to come back. Hardly the kind of word of mouth a bar that just opened in a new location needs, right?
Note: I would suggest that Big Wangs put something about this on their Web site so people can know before they show up, but since the site currently seems to be suspended with a note to "contact the billing/support department as soon as possible," it seems like they have bigger fish to fry.
7 comments:
Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one?
I like the picture you found of the raucous dodger fans. Was that a quick google image search of "dodger fans bar?"
No, it's because that's the Short Stop, which is a big hang out right next to Dodger Stadium, and it was kind of nice to show that the mere fact that you have a Dodger hat on doesn't immediately turn you into a bloodthirsty savage.
Dolt.
Well, looks like there be a drop in gang related shootings in North Hollywood.
I remember at my old job in L.A. once there was a fight, and one of the guys ran off. The description we got was "an average height male with a dark goatee, wearing baggy jeans, a dodgers hat and jacket."
He probably ran to Big Wangs where he was promptly arrested.
We don't have these kinds of issues in Iowa.
However, polio has been a real bitch this fall.
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