by Lindsay Oliver

Created on: June 30, 2009   Last Updated: July 02, 2009

A good sports bar is hard to come by in New Orleans, as the city is riddled with a lot of different drinking establishments mostly catering to tourists. You could always stumble into any bar with a television set to watch a game, but a sports bar is made mainly by its atmosphere. On Sundays during football season the whole city succumbs to Saints fever, and most bars are great to watch Saints games in. However, the bars listed below are the cream of the crop. And for the out-of-towner trying to find their favorite team or for those who dare to root for a non-New Orleans based team, these are your best bets.

Cooter Brown's Tavern, Grill, and Oyster Bar (509 S. Carrollton Avenue) Located Uptown close to the Mississippi River on the corner of St. Charles and Carrollton, the extensive selection of beer is a reason this place is a must-see. Decorated with caricatures of famous dead people on the walls all holding different bottles of beer, you can see what this pub specializes in. Each beer relates to the person holding it (Alfred Hitchcock is holding Rogue's Dead Guy Ale). During football season, don't go unless you're prepared to root for the Saints. They have plenty of flat screens located in strategic places around the bar with two huge projector screens as well. They cover the pool tables with wood for extra seating. Get there early if you're planning on getting a seat.

Johnny White's Pub and Grill (718 Bourbon Street) A little divey, but they have great Bloody Marys. It is the perfect place to watch a Sunday afternoon football game. The owner is from Hawaii, so it's a great location to college football, especially when Hawaii is playing. It is open 24 hours a day, and claims to never have closed. It was the place where all the locals went in the French Quarter during Katrina.

Sports Vue (1701 Elysian Fields Avenue) In midtown town, this bar is the epitome of a sports bar. With two 120 inch high-definition projection screens, thirteen flat screens, pool tables, arcade game classics, pop-a-shot, and bar-top games, this is a sports lover's fantasy bar. It has great happy hour specials (Monday-Friday 4pm-7pm $1 daiquiris and martinis) and every sports channel and package you can imagine.

Bruno's Tavern (7538 Maple Street) Also a local hangout for the Uptown college kids at night, it has lots of flat screens and a great beer selection. There is free popcorn (yes, FREE!). It also has a great selection of bar games pool, shuffleboard, darts, and of course, buck hunter.

Finn McCool's Irish Pub (3701 Banks Street) This is a little off the beaten path, but it is a great place if you're a soccer (or football) nut. They usually have free food during Saints' games and great beer deals - $8 for 5 domestic beers or $12 for 5 imports. Monday night is trivia night and the loser gets a bucket of potatoes, while the winner gets a random collection of stuff the bartenders have donated from their houses.

New Orleans has an amazing nightlife, especially when you venture outside of the French Quarter. Most of those bars are a bit kitschy and lack the history that New Orleans is famous for. They definitely do not posses the atmosphere needed to truly enjoy a sporting event.

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