THE PUB CRAWL
Sports fans come together for inaugural ESPN 97.5 Houston Sports Pub Crawl
Oct 21, 2018, 3:08 pm
The Be Someone shirt was all over downtown. SportsMap staff
Normally you'd be hard pressed to find a UT and an Aggie fan sharing a beer on a fall Saturday afternoon. Splitting that same table with a few hockey fans just confuses the situation even further. And yet, up and down Main Street similar scenarios played out this past Saturday at the first annual Houston Sports Pub crawl.
Sponsored by ESPN 97.5, Sportsmap 94.1, and It's A Houston Thing apparel, the pub crawl began at 3 p.m. Participants arrived in a myriad of sports jerseys and checked in at Dean's Downtown where they received a special edition pub crawl t-shirt featuring The iconic “Be Someone” graffiti bridge overhanging I-45 south, as well as a matching cup, wristband, and koozie.
Upon checking in, pub crawlers were encouraged to check out any of the 10 participating bars including El Big Bad, Molly's, and Bovine and Barley where they enjoyed $3 drink specials throughout and had the opportunity to interact with local on air talent from ESPN 97.5.
“It's a really cool concept,” said pub crawl participant Hector Alfero. “It's cool to come out and meet fellow Houston sports fans over a beer.”
The pub crawl lasted three hours even after the check in tents were taken down most participants lingered up and down mainstreet well after 6 p.m.
“Me and my buddies usually drink when we're watching sports,” Alfero continued. “It only makes sense that we would come check out a sports related pub crawl.”
Judging from the enthusiastic reception the event garnered, it seems like it's only a matter of time before sports fans will have another opportunity to meet up and drink up.
Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.
The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.
CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.
If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.
Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.
What's working in the Texans' favor?
They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.
Bulls on Parade
We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.
And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.
X-factors
The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.
Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.
Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.
What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?
The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.
An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.
What does Vegas think?
The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.
Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!
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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Tickets are $75 for VIP and $50 for General Admission. For a limited time, we’re giving you $10 off; use code SPORTSMAP at checkout. Get your tickets now!