As everyone gets settled in for a new school year, along comes another year of Illinois sports. New players on new teams get a chance to one-up a solid 2023-24 calendar year for the athletic department, so where can you watch?
The easy answer for home games is at each team’s venue. Whether you’re at the State Farm Center or Demirjian Park, each Illinois home turf allows fans to enjoy the action for multiple events every season.
Once the Illini start to travel, it gets trickier, especially with the smaller sports. Many of these events require subscriptions, making it much more difficult for students to watch.
Ranging from Big Ten Network, Big Ten Network+, FloSports, and more, there’s no surefire way to keep track of each game. Your best bet is to grab Big Ten Network and then follow each team’s “live stats” on the Illinois website for other games. It’s not super reliable, but oftentimes it’s the only way to stay up-to-date in real-time.
For games televised on main networks, your options are plentiful. Brothers Bar & Grill still isn’t a year old in Champaign, but it is already one of the top locations for sports watching. There isn’t a seat in the bar where you aren’t facing a television and a variety of seating.
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It’s a nice place to relax and watch or get a drink and food, and has surpassed the other bars on Green Street as the top place to watch. Legends Bar and Grill is the next top location, and still a popular one at that.
Legends has a unique vibe that fits the Illinois culture. A bunch of memorabilia and vintage Illinois merchandise around the bar make the environment festive for any Illini game or match. The tv’s are more scarce at Legends, but still a quality place to root for your favorite teams and it gets quite full during big events.
Murphy’s Pub, Kams, Red Lion and Joe’s all get pretty full during major Illinois sporting events, but the lines are shorter for these venues specifically. Either way, the bar scene on Green Street provides numerous options for watching the Illini.
The final — and maybe most underrated spot — is the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF). Now why would an instructional building be a good spot you might ask? The entrance of the CIF features the Monumental Study Steps, spanning two floors of space to study, hang out with friends, or watch sports on a massive LED video board.
A massive screen sits before the steps that play the Super Bowl, World Series, major Illinois sporting events and more. If you need to study and can’t afford to take hours out of your schedule at the bar, this is the place to watch Illinois for you.
Regardless of where you go, watch Illinois sports. Several Illinois teams had their best season in a long time last year, and you can stay tuned at each of the locations mentioned here.
@benfader7
