Wheaton Wire

Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Features

Media Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay Van Clief ’09 Bar patrons get low to the ground during the line "A little bit softer now" from the popular party song, "Shout" by the Isely Brothers, which is famous for being in the college movie Animal House.

Media Credit: Courtesy of Lindsay Van Clief ’09 Wheaton students stand by the bar on a crowded Thursday night.

Ask any alum within the past 20 years, current seniors, or even a freshman on campus and they'll tell you that "Sporty's" is the place where Wheaton students go on "Thirsty Thursdays." The Sportsway Café of Norton, most commonly known as Sporty's, is not only one of the few bars in the suburban area, but also the closest one to Wheaton. "There aren't many bars around and this one has good music, is within walking distance, and is reasonably priced," said Sarah Green '09. "It eliminates the issue of finding a [designated driver], which is nice."

As the owner of the bar for the past two years, Neil Feldman, said, "the bottom line is that most of the places in town are restaurants and won't let Wheaton students let their hair down. We're just the opposite. We like to have fun, so long as it's safe fun."

However, despite popular belief, Thursdays are not Sporty's biggest nights. "It's our biggest grossing night," says Feldman, referring to the number of people that come through the doors, "but it's not the night that we make the most money. Because there are so many people here, we have to hire a bouncer, three bartenders, security, etc."

He says that Saturday nights are usually their biggest nights, mainly due to the live music each week. "We have a good reputation as far as paying good bands to play here," says Feldman.

Generally, Feldman says he has had a "fantastic relationship" with the Wheaton community. One senior, Meredith Martindale, says "I think it's fun for what it is, since there really isn't anywhere else to go. But it's too monotonous to go [to it] every week."

Due to a recent incident at the bar on Wednesday, March 25, concerning the arrest of a student towards whom, according to the campus wide e-mail sent by Interim Dean of Students Jack Kuszaj, "racial epithets were directed," some people's opinions of the bar have changed. "Before the incident I thought that Sporty's was a good place to get away from Wheaton and socialize with our friends at a different setting," says Rhea Golub '09. "But after this incident I'm having my doubts. I wasn't there to see what happened but I heard about the racial slurs." Golub says that she hasn't been back to Sporty's since and probably won't return. "As people of color I feel as though I want to make a stand."

Another senior, Tom Syverson, also says that he probably won't return to Sporty's after this incident. "What happened there bothers me," he says, "and it just highlights everything that is crappy about this part of Massachusetts… It's a trashy bar with crappy townies and the only reason that people like it is because it's the only bar we have."

In response to the incident, Feldman wrote a two-page letter to Dean Kuszaj on his position. "Personally I'm upset because I feel that we were labeled a racist bar, and that's far from the truth" he says. Feldman also emphasized that the actions of the woman involved do not represent his views as the owner nor the policy of the bar as an establishment. "We're decent people," he says. "Without a doubt [Wheaton students] have their right to boycott and I have no problem with that, I just wish they had the whole story."

Feldman has been in the bar business for the past 35 years and has witnessed many bar fights, but at Sporty's he has only witnessed five in the last two years. "We try not to call the police, but any time you have someone drunk and out of control, we can't let them behind the wheel. I'll personally bring them home, or I'll call a cab and pay for it." He has even driven Wheaton students the short distance back to campus if they are too drunk to walk comfortably.

The reason why Wheaton students were at the bar that Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning stemmed from Feldman's attempt to accommodate frustrations of some seniors who were unable to get in on Thursday nights since many juniors are now 21 and getting to the bar early. "Some seniors came up to me," says Feldman, "and I said we'll do a Tuesday Wheaton night. We were trying to be nice guys."

Even before the incident, not all student opinions of Sporty's were positive. Wheaton alum Mark Tabah Starr '07 went a few times during his time as a student. "I always got the feeling though that the locals did not enjoy the Wheaton crowd," he says. "But also, [in] their defense, the Wheaton crowd could and most often did get a little rowdy."

"I think it's disappointing that something like this happened but it's also a reminder of the world we live in," says Romel Antione '09. "Unfortunately there's a lot of [mis]information being generated by the rumor mills and I can never be quite sure what's true and what's not."

Feldman says that while there is a noticeable decrease in the number of Wheaton students on Thursday nights, there is still a large crowd. "I think most of the Wheaton kids have fun," he says, "especially because we keep seeing the same faces."

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