Watch CBS News

New England, Philly Fans Huddle for Super Bowl Warmth at S.F. Watering Holes

SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Super Bowl Sunday, 9 a.m. A line has already formed outside the Connecticut Yankee sports bar in San Francisco, unofficial home-away-from-home for Boston sports fans.

The bar gets pretty crowded around game time so staking out a good space is important for the Patriot regulars.

"This is my spot right here. I actually sat here first and they're like 'No! No! No! Yours is one over to the left,'" bar patron Roberto Chicas said.

"Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do," observed Patriots fan Jake Meagher.

Football fans are famous for their superstitions. For example, a statue dubbed "Rob Gnome-kowski" used to sit out in the beer garden at Connecticut Yankee but it went missing after the last playoff game when a drunk fan decided to take home a souvenir.

"He brought (it) back and he was like, 'I'm sorry -- I was in an inebriated stupor, it was a mistake,'" recalls Connecticut Yankee co-founder John Broyer.

Across town, Jake's Steaks feels like a little slice of Philly.

"Here you're gathered with friends, family -- everybody is with you in support," explained Eagles fan Tyler Brown.

This has become the weekly gathering spot for Eagles fans although it was never really planned that way.

"It naturally grew from Philly cheesesteaks brought over from Philly and the Eagles just came. This is their home. Let's hear it guys!" Jake's Steaks co-owner Wael Mufarreh Jr. said as the room erupted in cheers.

It's a small place and, on game days, the crowd swells and takes up half the street. While it may seem like a cliché to link Philly fans with cheesesteak but it turns out that's really a thing.

"See, everyone from Philadelphia likes cheesesteaks and everyone from Philadelphia loves the Eagles. So, you build a place and they will come, I promise you," said Joseph Brown, who moved to the Bay Area from Philly.

Two sides of town, two loyal fan bases. One, perhaps, a team of destiny, the other, unquestionably, a dynasty. No matter who wins, these fans on the farthest edge of the Left Coast share one thing in common there is no place they'd rather be.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.