Reception study at Zorbaz’s on the Lake

Note: this came to 6 paragraphs as I was at 2 different locations w/i the same bar. I have tried to also show the contrast between the two spots and ran over.

University of Minnesota versus Indiana University football game

I walk onto the deck at Zorbaz’s on the Beach on October 4th, it's a family bar. The deck is an indoor/outdoor affair with clear plastic sides and open sections drawing in the lake breeze, perfect for a crisp fall Saturday of football. There are nine TV sets with a bar along the back and the bartender is only partially attentive to the game while waiting on a male customer. I'm here to watch those watching the Minnesota/Indiana game which is on two of the three big screens. Oklahoma/Baylor is on the four of the smaller screens, Iowa/Northwestern is on the other big screen, Penn State/Purdue is on another smaller screen; and "Zorro" is on the last small screen. It’s a mystery.

The young man leaves and a single female enters. The barkeep occasionally glances at the screen as he tends to his domain. He’s a Gopher fan but he is more concerned about the technicalities of the operation. He has five remote controls and the big sound is coming from the lone Penn State game in the corner. He can't figure this out and apologizes. It's tough to keep your attention focused. There’s a massive number of commercials on sports TV, so at any one moment the viewer is buried in requests for his or her dollar. As the excitement is raised in the tone of the announcers, the few of us all look to the corner and Penn State -- sound counts for a lot. As I leave, the barkeep apologizes for the sound and says he'd like to listen to the Gophers while he’s working. He asks me for the score [7-0 Gophers] and promises he's going to keep working on the sound. He also let’s me know that he now has the game on inside.

I move in to the main bar -- it's a very busy. Five sets are going with three different games; the Gophers are on two of them. However the sound in here is music – appropriately it’s Pink Floyd, and yes we can all easily become "Comfortably Numb." I am quickly reminded of Stephen Crane's “Smiling Saloon” as two guys keep looking up at the Gophers. An older woman and a younger blonde are with a man at a center table. They're talking about acquaintances, but their eyes dart over each other's heads as they both watch the Gopher game on sets at opposite corners of the bar beyond one another.

There are four small sets tucked away up high behind the bar that are only visible to the customers sitting on stools. There are three such patrons, not talking, transfixed at the moving pictures with no sound. One set carries Penn State, the other three have NDSU. I'm not in Centre County, PA so they must be watching the Bison game. The Gophers breakup an Indiana pass and the blonde claps. There are seven booths to my left, all but one is occupied, there are eight additional sets pointed towards those booths but no one is watching – in there the folks seem more engaged with each other. If you want to watch a game and clap apparently you are to drift into the open area of the main bar.

In here the bartender is very busy with customers while also taking food orders. The Gophers just defended their own receiver off the ball on a third-down preventing a first. There is an audible groan, a “been there seen that way too much” type of sound. Soon it's an important third-down for Indiana and the Gophers defend well, knocking down a pass -- more clapping, even if only one person. Behind me and over my head, Baylor is getting smoked by Oklahoma 42 – 14; it's good not to watch. More clapping so I look over instinctively to the Minnesota set. They have converted another third-down. My Clapper is now an indicator, my sporting scout, just as two young girls slip into the area. They don't look at any of the sets, and I notice that my neighbor is in here too. She has seen me, and I know she's wondering what I'm doing here. I don't want to engage in conversation right now so I keep looking at TV sets -- everyone in the region knows our cable system doesn't carry the Big 10 network so you have to go to a bar. I think she knows that too because she’s also watching the game.

There’s 3:16 to go and people are starting to watch seriously -- the Gophers convert a big 4th & one. Minnesota just converts another 3rd & 4 -- it's 2:22 and counting. There's a hint of excitement building in here. A girl at the bar is talking to no one “good – good, good” and to the silent NDSU game – “that's the best play of the day.” Coach Brewster is breathing heavily on a 4th & 5 at the Indiana 20 with 26 seconds left. This would be his first Big 10 win. The Gophers line up for a field goal, and make it! Lots of people now clap in the bar. As two more women with a guy walk in, the original two women with their man pay to leave; the Minnesota game is basically over with 22 seconds left and a nine point lead. But Brewster is still coaching like a wild man with 14 seconds left; he orders a squib kick after the field goal.

Minnesota wins 16 – 7 as folks get up and head to the door in a disorderly unison, and a new crowd starts to drift in. There are more kickoffs yet to come at 2:00 PM.