We’ve heard the soccer stories from Europe and South America: bars decimated down to the shattered toilets after a win. The stadium brawls, head butts and bloodshed. In Brazil last year a referee stabbed a player to death after an argument, then was stoned and beheaded on the spot by the player’s family and friends, the ref’s head staked at midfield. It happened in the town of Pius XII. Yes, you read that correctly.
But this is the 2014 World Cup, and hopefully everyone will behave. It is a soccer extravaganza with an estimated worldwide viewing population of 3.2 billion humans, long anticipated and riddled with controversy. It is a massive corporate cash generator amid a sea of poverty. Yet soccer itself is the everyman’s game, ferociously beloved by both rich and poor, and everyone in between.
The Berkshires has its loyal, rabid fans, too. We know: we’ve seen that crazed look when the words “Arsenal” or “Ghana” or “Stoke” are uttered. We see that same look in our children as we chauffer hoards of them to practices and games. And we know about those indoor pickup games in the dead of winter, when outside, ice slabs fall from the rooftops. We understand.
So where to watch the Cup if you don’t have a cable subscription? Or if you simply need camaraderie and a shoulder to cry on when your team is in trouble? We have a few solutions for you. All we ask is that you don’t trash the place when your team wins.
2014 FIFA World Cup June 12-July 13
(For a detailed schedule click here)
Where to watch:
GREAT BARRINGTON
Mario’s
47 Railroad St.
413-717-4102
Route 7 Grill
999 Main St.
413-528-3235
The Well
312 Main St.
413-528-3651
Prairie Whale
178 Main Street
413-528-5050
(The Prairie Whale’s co-owner Mark Firth grew up in Zambia, and spent time in South Africa and Europe. We’ve heard he takes his soccer seriously.)
20 Railroad
20 Railroad Street
413-528-9345
HOUSATONIC
The Brickhouse Pub
425 Park St.
413-274-0020
(At the Brickhouse, the big screen is 144″ HD and the bar is wired with surround sound!)
STOCKBRIDGE
The Lion’s Den
(Red Lion Inn)
413-298-5280
WEST STOCKBRIDGE
No. 6 Depot
6 Depot Street
413-232-0205
(Co-owner and soccer devotee Flavio Lichtenthal will project the games onto the wall in the Six Depot Gallery. Call ahead to see if he will remain open after typical business hours for later game times. He hails from Argentina, and takes his soccer seriously, too.)
LEE
Moe’s Tavern
10 Railroad Street
413-243-6637
LENOX
Old Heritage Tavern
12 Housatonic Street
413-637-0884
PITTSFIELD
The Beacon Cinema
(Click here for game showtimes)
(Free admission)
57 North Street
413-358-4780
