Personal Narrative: A Place I Called My Cheers

Have any of you ever watched the sitcom “Cheers”? Their theme song went a little something like this, “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” Well I actually had a place I called my “Cheers”. It’s called Sportsmen’s. It’s nestled right here in Harlingen at the corner of Washington and 13th street across from Movies 10. Yes this little bar was my home away from home when I was in my 20’s. My friends and I could be found there four out of the six nights it was open. We loved it! I loved everything about it, the people, the music, the ambiance, the beer. Yummy! Basically I loved the life it had. Unfortunately, for me Sportsmen’s has lost its luster from when I was one of its regulars.
Let me take you back about 10 years, back to the year 2006. On any given Friday night, you could find me getting ready to meet my friends at Sportsmen’s. My friends and I always dressed to impress when hitting our favorite hot spot or as we liked to refer to Sportsmen’s as Headquarters. Knowing I would be going to Sportsmen’s filled me with excitement and anticipation. Walking into Sportsmen’s would always put a smile on my face, because I was greeted as soon as I would open that door. The people there were so friendly and ready to have some clean fun. Of course, every bar has their regulars. I was proud to be one of them. Now Sportsmen’s is a quaint little one story building. It is clean but smoke fills the air. (The no smoking law hadn’t been passed in Harlingen yet.) The interior is dimly lit. There is a large wooden bar at the far back wall

that is u-shaped. There is a small dance floor off of the right wall and 2 pool tables near the back. The floor is carpeted in dark green. The service there was awesome! The same servers had been there for years and were consistent in their speedy service. Sportsmen’s had all kinds of entertainment. They had karaoke (my favorite), pool leagues, tournaments, a dance floor, and djs. On occasion, they would have a live band. Karaoke was a huge hit back then. You would be lucky if you got to sing twice, because everyone was signing up to sing. The pool leagues were fun. You would get to meet other people from other local bars, as well as, represent Sportsmen’s on away games. The tournaments always brought out the big competitors to show off their talents. I would enter one every once in a while to throw them off their game. I made the 8 on the break once, it was awesome. Then there were the djs playing the popular hits for everyone to dance too. It was an overall great place to have fun. Unfortunately, life goes on and so did I.
I moved to Austin to find fortune and fame.

Instead, I found a new city and started a new adventure. New places, new faces and the sounds of music were around every corner. I joined a karaoke league and became a Karaoke Champion. I got married and it was time to decide where we wanted to raise a family. So this time with a husband in tow, we moved back to Harlingen to build a life

together.
Now we are in the year 2016. I walked into Sportsmen’s a few months ago and it just wasn’t the same. It wasn’t smoky anymore because the no smoking law finally passed. Yay! Unfortunately, the years of smoke had imbedded itself in the walls. Along with the smoke, you could smell the stench of stale beer in the air. The décor hadn’t changed either. They still had the same tables, the same chairs and the same green carpet. The green carpet is now stained with the many years of spills and the traffic of its patrons. As I sat at the bar with my husband, I looked around the room. There were so many new faces, as the new generation of 20-somethings had invaded the place. Speckled around the bar area or sitting at various tables, I could pick out the regulars. They have grown older now, as have I. I was filled with sadness, because the friends I used to meet there are no longer there. We have all grown up and gone our separate ways. The service had changed, but sadly not for the better. It was slow and the servers seem to be disinterested in attending to people they didn’t know. The familiar sound of the Karaoke DJ alerted us to the start of what used to be a fun activity, Karaoke. Now it was more djing than singing. The crowd didn’t applaud the singers they didn’t recognize. They wouldn’t clap for bad singers just for trying their best. They just sat there either ignoring the singer or too enthralled in their phones. The pool tables in the corner are still used but there are no more tournaments. Sportsmen’s doesn’t participate in the pool leagues anymore. As for the regular djs, they are now restricted on the type of music they are allowed to play. It is disheartening to see a decent place not live up to its former glory.
On occasion, I still go to Sportsmen’s. It just doesn’t feel the same walking in as before. The rambunctious greetings I used to receive walking through the door are now replaced by looks of curiosity. I can tell by the majority of the looks that they see me as the outsider. And in truth, I am. Although Sportsmen’s seems very different now, I know I am the one that has changed. Sportsmen’s will always have a sweet spot in my memories because it filled a large part of my past. To me it will always be my home away from home, my headquarters, my “Cheers”.