Weekends in the fall mean one thing: football. Whether you’re cheering on your college alma mater or your city’s NFL team, there’s nothing like the big game. There is nothing like spending the morning tailgating and watching the game live, but most would agree that football is the ultimate television sport.
Sometimes skipping the expensive tickets, the traffic, and the stadium crowds is worth it. If you live in a cold-weather environment, those mid-season games are better enjoyed from the confines of your local cigar lounge or home smoking room. Here’s a look at the benefits of skipping the tailgate when you want to catch your favorite team on the gridiron.
The Advantages of Cigar Lounges for Watching Football
Pre-gaming with friends and family, sharing food, drinks, and your favorite cigar in the stadium parking lot is an age-old tradition, but your smoking experience ends once you reach the gates. Nearly all college or pro stadiums these days have strict no-smoking rules. Violating these policies results in losing your seat and your day at the game.
However, you don’t need to wake up early or worry about waiting until the final whistle to smoke your next stick if you spend your Saturday or Sunday afternoon at your local cigar lounge. Whether you pay for a yearly membership or a day pass, your local cigar lounge may be the best ticket in town when it comes to watching football.
Most cigar lounges are outfitted with multiple screens, so you’re not limited to one game. As long as your fellow cigar lounge members don’t mind, you can check out other games while the hometown game breaks for a commercial. There’s no toggling when you’re sitting in the stands. If you’re a gambler or an avid Fantasy player, checking scores and stats is easy while sitting in the comfort of your local lounge.
You’re also not limited to the pre-game cigar or, if all goes well, the post-game victory cigar. Feel free to light up as your team lines up for that field goal just before halftime or midway through the third quarter.
Cigar Lounge Food, Drinks, and Football
Whether your lounge is B.Y.O.B. or provides a fully stocked top-shelf bar, it’s easy to pair your favorite premium cigar with your favorite beverage.
Many cigar lounges provide snacks and food or host events that coincide with football games. If they don’t, most allow members and guests to bring their own. Otherwise, pooling together some cash with lounge friends and ordering from your favorite pizza joint is just a phone call away.
The good news? You’ll avoid long lines and inflated stadium prices. The better news? Feel free to light up that post-meal cigar any time you want.
Smoking Cigars Safe from the Elements.
The weather is one thing you can’t rely on. An outdoor game is a fine idea when the weather is mild. However, if you don’t live in Florida or your team doesn’t play in a dome, sitting outside during those frigid December match-ups is less than ideal. Snow, sleet, and rain games have created some classic football moments, but soggy cigars and numb fingers make for a less-than-optimal smoking experience.
You’ll stay warm and dry in a lounge, and state-of-the-art ventilation systems keep the air clear.
Smoking at Home
Don’t like the idea of heading out to the lounge? Why not build your own smoking room? Here you can relax and enjoy the game on your schedule from the confines of your own home. Rewind that perfect TD pass or pick six as much as you’d like before fast-forwarding to the live action. Perhaps this year you finally splurged on that NFL Red Zone package. Either way, you’ll never miss a down while sitting in your favorite chair.
A home smoking room doesn’t need to be extravagant. As long as you can run electricity to the big screen, backyard sheds, garage spaces, or traditional camping tents can all be converted into home smoking venues for the game.
Like cigar smoking, football is built around ritual. Over the past few decades, it has become America’s pastime. Sometimes the best seat in the house is on your couch.
photo credit: Cigar Life Guy