{"id":84050,"date":"2020-01-14T10:05:14","date_gmt":"2020-01-14T16:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=84050"},"modified":"2020-03-18T11:35:50","modified_gmt":"2020-03-18T16:35:50","slug":"how-seahawks-fans-find-community-at-a-chicago-sports-bar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/how-seahawks-fans-find-community-at-a-chicago-sports-bar\/","title":{"rendered":"How Seahawks fans find community at a Chicago sports bar"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Leah Vann
\n<\/strong>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

Fans packed the Brownstone Tavern & Grill in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood for the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Green Bay Packers game in the NFC Divisional playoff.<\/p>\n

While the Seahawks lost their NFC Divisional game to the Green Bay Packers 28-23, their Chicago-area fans shared with me the story of how they’ve created a community home far from home.<\/p>\n

The Brownstone Tavern & Grill on Lincoln Avenue is \u201cstanding-room only,\u201d\u00a0 when I arrive. It\u2019s more spacious than the Toons Bar & Grill, the Kansas Chiefs\u2019 North Side bar on Southport Avenue.<\/p>\n

Brownstone owner Adam Sherman has been hosting Seattle Seahawks fans at his bars since 2013. The group started at Newport Bar & Grill that Sherman ran, but when the lease was up in 2016, he moved to what is now Brownstone Tavern & Grill.<\/p>\n

Sherman was approached by Jaron Berstein, who started the Chicago-based Seahawks Facebook page, \u201cHawks Nest\u201d in 2013. Berstein had gathered a small group of people who were all looking for a place to watch Seahawks games. One of those people, Shawnda Tharps, took over as admin of the Facebook page just a few months into the 2013 season when Berstein moved back to Seattle.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving only lived here for a couple of months, I couldn\u2019t imagine that … I would be helping run a group,\u201d Tharps said. \u201cWhen you move somewhere and you don\u2019t have friends and you don\u2019t know people, right away having people who not only embrace you, but they\u2019re from where you\u2019re from, it was huge. Like, you\u2019re going to make it here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Facebook page has 211 members, including some who live in Seattle, but occasionally visit from out of town. Tharps estimates that 80-100 Seahawks fans come to the bar every week. When the group originally started, Tharps and the rest of the founders had to convince Sherman that they could bring a good turnout.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had cards made up and would keep cards in our purses and wallets so if you work with somebody or find people on the bus from Seattle we would tell them to come,\u201d Tharps said. \u201cWe did the basic word of mouth spreading it to people.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the owner, Sherman wanted to create a community atmosphere that felt like home.<\/p>\n