4 ms·

> It's strange to me that screens are so omnipresent in gyms Same with bars. I want to go have a drink and chat with people. I just don't understand the need f

> It's strange to me that screens are so omnipresent in gyms Same with bars. I want to go have a drink and chat with people. I just don't understand the need for TV in places like these.

jxramos 9y ago
that would make for a great A/B test of these environments for some outcome. With a bar maybe the number of drinks/food ordered, who knows. Might be a great surprise the outcome.
raverbashing 9y ago
Sports, basically And some people go to the bars to watch sports with their friends
- Bartweiss 9y ago
  Honestly, I don't object to muted sports in bars - even ones that aren't nominally sports bars. Sports-watching is more social than news, and less intrusive if you're not interested. Just turn the damn things off if there's nothing to watch, and maybe have a few bars without TVs. I might be spoiled, though. In a city this size I can find most any type of bar I want - when I lived in a spot where Buffalo Wild Wings was considered a 'good' bar, I felt a bit differently.
valuearb 9y ago
What else are you going to look at while you sit hogging a station for 5 minutes waiting for your next set?
Bartweiss 9y ago
The usual reason I hear is that talking distracts from drinking, so loud music and captivating screens raise drink revenues. I'm not convinced that's right, though. As a reason for deafening music in clubs, sure. As a reason for screens and volume-on in pubs? I've definitely left bars early, or avoided them altogether, specifically because it was too hard to have a chat with friends. My 'local' has one small TV, muted, and the rest is live music, talking, and posters on the walls. It's a proper "third place", and doing incredibly well for it - so much so that I wonder if most bars are just scared of taking the risk.
jlardinois 9y ago
Is this a regional thing? Where I live, neighborhood bars and sports bars have TVs, but everything else doesn't.

> It's strange to me that screens are so omnipresent in gyms Same with bars. I want to go have a drink and chat with people. I just don't understand the need for TV in places like these.

jxramos 9y ago

that would make for a great A/B test of these environments for some outcome. With a bar maybe the number of drinks/food ordered, who knows. Might be a great surprise the outcome.

raverbashing 9y ago

Sports, basically And some people go to the bars to watch sports with their friends

Bartweiss 9y ago
Honestly, I don't object to muted sports in bars - even ones that aren't nominally sports bars. Sports-watching is more social than news, and less intrusive if you're not interested. Just turn the damn things off if there's nothing to watch, and maybe have a few bars without TVs. I might be spoiled, though. In a city this size I can find most any type of bar I want - when I lived in a spot where Buffalo Wild Wings was considered a 'good' bar, I felt a bit differently.

valuearb 9y ago

What else are you going to look at while you sit hogging a station for 5 minutes waiting for your next set?

Bartweiss 9y ago

The usual reason I hear is that talking distracts from drinking, so loud music and captivating screens raise drink revenues. I'm not convinced that's right, though. As a reason for deafening music in clubs, sure. As a reason for screens and volume-on in pubs? I've definitely left bars early, or avoided them altogether, specifically because it was too hard to have a chat with friends. My 'local' has one small TV, muted, and the rest is live music, talking, and posters on the walls. It's a proper "third place", and doing incredibly well for it - so much so that I wonder if most bars are just scared of taking the risk.

jlardinois 9y ago

Is this a regional thing? Where I live, neighborhood bars and sports bars have TVs, but everything else doesn't.