On just about every holiday in memory, my family has trekked out to a sports bar. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, birthdays, you name it. If there’s one collective priority, it’s watching our favorite sports teams (hopefully) win. After all, can’t we spend time as a family while also being transfixed by dozens of big screens?
Now, don’t get me wrong. My dad has also called just about every cable and satellite provider and attempted to negotiate for the games that don’t fall within the normal package rates. This way we wouldn’t spend the morning of Thanksgiving in a nearby bar. The result? “Sorry sir, it’ll still be $100 to stream those games for the day.”
Soccer jerseys and memorabilia from floor to ceiling in this bar.
Well, in that case, my family may as well spend $100 on food and beverages at a sports bar while also gaining access to the games we want to see. And the craziest part? The bar was far from empty on those holidays when we went up there. With only two entirely dead sports days each year (the day before and after the Baseball All-Star Game) when one of the big four aren’t playing and families like mine that will gladly show up regardless of circumstances, a sports bar makes a strong case as a recession-proof business.
Whether it’s been a lifelong dream of yours to open your own, or you and your buddy just cooked up this plan last year, a sports bar will ultimately bring together sports fanatics 363 days. Among all the planning that it takes to open a business, finding the perfect name has to be on your mind. This guide will help you brainstorm name ideas as well as understand the best naming strategies so you can come up with your own. Browse name ideas organized by theme below.
Good sports bar name ideas
Here are some quality sports bar name ideas that we came across in our research. They may provide some inspiration if you’re feeling stuck throughout the process.
- The Stadium View
- The Press Box
- The End Zone
- All-Star Sports Bar
- Homerun Sports Café
- Home Team Bar and Grill
- Players Sports Bar
- The Bleacher Bar
- Phoenix Landing
- Valley Tavern
- Frankie’s Downtown
- Mission Bar and Grill
- Urban Bay Sports Bar
- The Stadium Club
- [Your Name] Sports Bar
- Hole in One
- The Fanatic Bar and Grill
- The Old Irish Pub
- Setting Sun Sports Bar
- City Square Sports Bar
- Ultimate Sports Bar
- The Sports Fan
- The Goal Post
- First Down Bar
- Intermission Sports Bar
- The Pitstop
- Champs Sports Bar
- Bay Area Bar and Grill
- Ballgame Bar and Grill
- Waterfront Sports Bar
Funny sports bar name ideas
Just another neighborhood bar.
Do you want to make people laugh when they see the name of your business? It turns out that laughter actually improves short-term memory, so giving potential customers a chuckle may help business. These are just names for inspiration. Don’t limit yourself to anything on this list!
- Pigskin Sports Bar
- Sluggers Bar and Grill
- Slam Dunk Sports Café
- The GOAT Bar & Grill
- The Break Room
- The Dug Out
- The Watering Hole
- Mad Dog Sports Bar
- Shooters Sports Bar
- The Winking Wizard
- The Leaping Lizard
- Bull and Bear
- On Tap Sports Bar
- The Whiskey Chicks
- Alley Oop Pub
- Instant Replay Sports Bar
- Shirts and Skins Sports Café
- The Drunky Monkey
- Benchwarmers Sports Café
- Last Call Sports Bar
- Wish You Were Beer
- Red, White, and Brew
- The Brewseum
- Bar of the Gods
- The Bullpen
- The Flying Puck
- Buffalo Billiards Bar
- Top of the Ninth Sports Café
- Public House
- Bombshells Sports Bar
Cool sports bar name ideas
Nothing beats ice cold beer on tap.
Going for a more chill or laidback vibe? We’ve collected 30 “cool” sports bar names that’ll pique your interest and give you an idea of how many directions naming a bar can go. The sky is the limit!
- 50 Yard Line Bar and Grill
- Knockout Sports Bar
- Uncle Sam’s Sports Café
- Time Out Tavern
- Ace Bar and Grill
- Off Base Bar
- The High Dive
- Home & Away
- Wonderland Sports Bar
- The Dubliner
- [Street Name] Bar & Grill
- Jocks Only Bar and Grill
- Triple Crown Pub
- The Green Room
- [Number of Beer Taps] Bar
- The Ambassador Lounge
- Society Sports and Spirits
- Spectators Sports Café
- The Penalty Box
- Time Out!
- All-In Beer Hall
- The Fan Zone
- Faceoffs
- Pitchers Bar and Grill
- Gloves Off Sports Bar
- Roundtable Sports Bar
- Brew Brothers
- Lucky 23 Sports Café
- The Broken Record
- American Social Sports Bar
Creative name suggestions
Inside an Irish pub.
Don’t consider yourself incredibly creative? Most owners fret that this will inhibit their ability to name and market their business. Don’t worry. We’ve got you. Here are a few more naming ideas that may get your creative juices flowing.
- [Last name] Stadium
- Spirit of [Street Number]
- The Owner’s Box
- The Pennant Bar
- The Tipsy Cow
- Pub Fiction
- Lucky Lady Sports Bar
- Shotgun Sports Bar
- Olive or Twist
- Aesop’s Tables
- The Irish Alley
- Ireland’s Heaven
Related Reading: 21 Fascinating Hard Cider Industry Trends and Statistics
Sports bar naming strategies
Learn proven business naming strategies.
Getting ready for a good brainstorm session? It’s not easy to come up with a name if you don’t have one off the bat. You want something funny and cool. You want it to represent your love for sports. You want it to be good for marketing and something that people can remember. How do you come up with something like that? There are few core strategies and even legalities that you should know.
Make your purpose known
We all know those businesses in our own city or town. We drive by these places frequently, but we’ve never been to them and we’re also not quite sure what they do. Improve your marketing right off the bat by making your purpose known. Include sports-themed words, “Sports Cafe,” “Sports Bar,” “Sports Bar” and Grill” or just
Bar and Grill” at the end of your name. This is an easy tell that your business is a sports bar, and no one will need to guess where to go when they want to watch a big game coming up.
Tailor your moniker
What about your location makes your bar unique? Is it the sports teams in your city? Is it the city or town itself? If you can tailor your sports bar’s name to draw on your potential customer’s shared sports passion, then you may get people who walk in just because they love the name. Here are a few examples…
- Maple Leaf Bar and Grill
- Carolina Sports Café
- Twin Peaks
Avoid legal issues
While you may love the Carolina Tarheels, including their trademarked name in the name of your business can lead to legal issues. So, don’t let your allegiance earn you a trademark or copyright violations. You should aim to avoid any names of specific sports teams, leagues, conferences, or even characters from sports-themed movies. Keep in mind that even popular brands for the National Football League’s championship game and the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s basketball tournament are entirely off-limits due to trademarking.
Related Reading: 148 Brilliant Liquor Store Name Ideas You Can Use
Bummed? It’s understandable. You can imagine how many bars there would be named after the Patriots in Boston if it were allowed. However, you can still make the inside of your bar themed. You just need to steer clear of this strategy when it comes to naming.
To ensure you’re in the clear, visit the United States Patent and Trademark Office. They have an online search tool that allows you to search for trademarked names to ensure you won’t have any legal issues once you settle on your sports bar name.
Make it easy to pronounce
It may sound silly, but if people can’t pronounce your bar’s name, then they probably aren’t going to want to go there. Make the name of your bar short, sweet, and easy to pronounce. You should also choose words that are easy to spell so that the name of your bar can be easily searched in Google.
Final thoughts
We hope this guide helps you find the perfect name for your new sports bar. If not, you can use our naming strategies to help you brainstorm your own.
One of the best parts about establishing your own sports bar is the fact that you bring the community together and give people a place to go on all the “big-sports” holidays. Congrats on the business! We also have a free food business startup community with thousands of savvy entrepreneurs. You can join here to get access to our food business model canvas that will help you plan your opening as well as receiving exclusive interviews with food founders.
