The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are perhaps the most contentious since the 1980 Moscow games, and for good reason. The anti-LGBTQ stance of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime has sparked much condemnation among Western leaders. Despite the politics of the games, the well-documented construction issues, and allegations of foul play in the figure skating arena, the Sochi games may well go down in history as Canada’s greatest sporting triumph. There exists the distinct chance that our nation will sit atop both the gold and total medal tallies come February 23 — a remarkable achievement, considering that we famously failed to win a single gold medal when hosting the games back in 1988.

So, where does one watch such a monumental Olympics while on the St. George campus?

 

O’Grady’s

College Street and McCaul Street

Notoriously mediocre, but cheap as can be, O’Grady’s has recently installed an array of flat-screen TVs that compliment its projector screen quite well. It’s the go-to bar for watching sports on a budget.

Our suggestion: get a crew together, and get a couple 60 oz. pitchers of Nickel Brook lager for $10, and one of the $40 sharing platters (the appropriately-named “Varsity Blues” platter is excellent). If watching on a Sunday or Monday, opt for half-price wings instead.

 

GSU Pub

Graduate Students’ Union, Bancroft Avenue

Yes, we do have a bar on campus! The GSU Pub has cheap beer, free pool on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, a decent TV, and very cheap pizza.  It’s nicer than O’Grady’s, but not as good for watching the Olympics.

Our suggestion: get a pitcher of Red Leaf Lager (pretty patriotic if you ask me) for $13.25 and a couple $2 slices of pizza.

 

Gabby’s

Bloor, across from the ROM

This place is nice. It has a solid array of TVs, and booths with TVs installed in them. The beer starts off at just over $16 a pitcher for Molson or Coors, but then gets markedly better for just a dollar or two more. The food’s quite good as well, and it has a mixed drink list that’s worth ordering from. Wings are half-price on Mondays and Wednesdays, Molson tallboys are $4.50 on Tuesdays, and 10 oz mugs of Molson are $2.22 on Thursdays.

Our suggestion: don’t camp out here because it’ll burn a hole through your wallet (the one exception is Thursday evenings, when you can drink mugs until you drop, and glasses of wine are $5). Order a nice pitcher of beer and grab a solid lunch instead. You can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu.

 

Shoeless Joe’s

Spadina Avenue, just south of Bloor Street West

Shoeless is your other more expensive option. It has nice TVs and booths with TVs in them, a projector screen, good food and mixed drinks, and is seldom full (unlike Gabby’s). Shoeless features frosted glasses (“If you’re gonna drink Coors, it’s best not to taste it”), though Gabby’s has a better beer selection.

Our suggestion: don’t be swayed by the domestic mini-pitcher special on Mondays (it’s not really any better a deal than ordering a full pitcher). You certainly can’t go wrong with $3.99 mixed drinks on Thursdays, though.

 

Pizza Slice King

Harbord Street and Spadina Avenue, just north of RBC

Though not a bar, Pizza Slice King has a flat-screen TV, great pizza by the slice, and $4 bottles of domestic beer (and sometimes Heineken, if that’s more your thing).

Our suggestion: have a beer and a slice of pizza for lunch to the tune of $7.

 

Campus Wi-Fi

Certainly the most cost-effective option, our university’s Wi-Fi is good enough to stream CBC’s Olympic content in HD. CBC’s Olympic site is excellent, and has both live streams and archived events. So, if you want to watch Alex Bilodeau’s incredible run over and over, you certainly can.

The CBC Sochi 2014 app (available for iOS, Android, and Windows phones) has the same functionality. It is a more discreet option if, say, you’re an upper-year commerce student and electronics are banned in your classes.

Happy Olympics!