Anyone know where to watch The Game in Paris?
My wife and I have a long-planned trip to Paris over thanksgiving weekend to celebrate our 10th anniversary. Literally and metaphorically, sacre bleu!!
She has gracefully agreed to spend Saturday night watching The Game with me. Does anyone know where the heck you can watch college football in Paris? Ideally, a bar or restaurant that would have a big screen with the game on, maybe even sound? Bonus points if not overrun with Buckeyes, though I can’t imagine too many of them are in Paris; Marseille seems more like their scene.
Googling suggests a couple of Canadian bars; and I guess that’s fine if that’s where people go.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:47 AM ^
Maybe they have interwebs in France and you can stream it with room service from your suite at the George V ?
October 27th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
This is Plan B - stream it and watch it on my iPad. Thought it would be more fun to see it on a big screen.
we’re not staying at the George V, but we’re having lunch at Le Cinq on Saturday. A Michigan man prepares for the game with a hearty repast.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
If you're planning on watching via a free stream can ignore - if planning to watch on youtube TV or equivalent, FYI I wasn't able to watch on youtube TV when traveling earlier this season since it doesn't work outside the US, despite using a VPN and disabling geolocation services.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
Which VPN did you try? I'm going to be in Grand Cayman this Saturday and the VPN route was my gameplan for the game against MSU.
October 27th, 2022 at 1:44 PM ^
I was in Grand Cayman for a couple of weeks, and had no problems getting the Miami Fox affiliate at my AirBNB. The IU and Penn State games weren't blacked out, but there was that weird two-helmet interception that I'm pretty sure didn't actually happen. Ditto for ABC and CBS. I think these are basic cable packages that I would expect to have down there.
October 27th, 2022 at 8:05 PM ^
My issue is I have our board dinner during the game. Need to be able to access dvr. I'm feeling less optimistic now.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
Just faced this issue. While YouTube TV won't let you stream via VPN, you can download the Fox Now app (or likely equivalent for other channels), and they don't block VPN.
October 27th, 2022 at 12:14 PM ^
Thank you. I was going to die a bit inside if I couldn't watch the game.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:40 AM ^
drz, I've dined at Le Cinq, and I hope your experience is as enjoyable as ours was.
And, on topic - regarding where to watch the game - some great suggestions (such as the Paris Alumni Facebook site), and another option would be to contact your hotel's concierge and see if they can provide a suggestion or two. It might be great if you could find a restaurant that would carry the game - that way, you and your lovely bride could enjoy some culinary excellence as you watch the game.
Go Blue!
October 27th, 2022 at 3:18 PM ^
A Michigan Man doesn't get married during the week of Thanksgiving. Ever. Takes too much away from his wife.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:48 AM ^
I hate to break it to you, but Paris is 6 hours ahead of A2...so kickoff will be at 1:30 am Paris time...I doubt you will be watching it out and about...find a stream and watch in your hotel - if you can stay awake...Geaux Bluex
October 27th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
The Game is at noon. This weekend's game is at 730pm
October 27th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
Whoopsies, I thought it was this weekend...carry on.
I have nothing to add, and am a moron.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:31 AM ^
I was thinking the exact same thing, brah. 🙃
October 27th, 2022 at 3:19 PM ^
Way to own it.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:51 AM ^
UM-OSU kickoff 12pm + 6 hours = 6pm
Thanks for today’s math lesson
October 27th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
I heard that OSU will be a nooner, so the timing should be fine.
Now, if I'm in Paris with my wife on an anniversary trip I can think of a few other activities that might outrank watching football, but that's just me.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:41 AM ^
On an anniversary, it only matters what the wife ranks first. Of course, OP probably married her in the first place because she values The Game above all else.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
The Great Canadian is where I would always go, pretty sure that's one of the spots you googled. Make sure it's still open before you go. Otherwise, maybe check in with the UM alum Paris group on Facebook to see if they're planning anything.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
Yep - glad this checks out. Thank you!!!!
October 27th, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
I would second this recommendation, the Great Canadian Pub would be where I would check.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:16 AM ^
I admit I haven't been in awhile but that place was touristy and tiny and full of pickpockets. UM Club in Paris is a good idea.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:50 AM ^
Check if there is an alumni bar in Paris. City that big should have enough of a Michigan presence to do something, at least for big games.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:56 AM ^
Take a pair of rabbit ears to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You should be able to pull in FOX.
October 27th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
France plays at 11 AM our time so 5 PM there in the World Cup. Good luck with finding a sports bar that will show Michigan OSU....
Happy Anniversary!!
Go Blue!!!!
October 28th, 2022 at 7:28 PM ^
I didn't even think about that. France actually plays at 11am eastern, so for an hour at least the OP has to find a TV in Paris not playing France vs. Denmark. That could be tough. Mexico vs. Argentina after that is also a big game.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
We were able to watch an M game at Belushi's near Gare Du Nord. They regularly show NFL games on Sunday, so it wasn't too difficult of an ask, I just emailed them. That being said, our noon game on 11/26 will be on at 6pm in Paris, and there's a big rugby match at 5:30pm (England vs South Africa, ranked 5th and 3rd in the world).
In general, though, many Paris bars respond via email in a timely manner.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
The France-Denmark World Cup match at 5 PM is likely to be the bigger problem. (Check with the alumni club because any venue they arrange might be the only one in Paris showing the Game, given the World Cup match).
October 27th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
Oh shit I didn't realize it's going against THAT
October 27th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
Yeah ... not great
October 27th, 2022 at 12:23 PM ^
Ugh, that's annoying. I'm a fan of les Bleus and that's probably their most important group game . . . but I can't miss the Game.
Just one of many reasons why I hate that this World Cup is in Qatar.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
If you have a mac an iPad, and YouTube TV use https://www.imyfone.com/location-changer-two/ to change your gps location to somewhere in the states. FoxSports app with a VPN (set to somewhere in the states) also worked over there last year when I was there for the MSU game. DoFu Sports app will provide links to unlisted streams (it’s free). The TV’s in a lot of hotels there won’t let you hook up an HDMI idk why but that’s been my luck. I’ll be there that week as well. I can try out all the above to ensure they work for you before I head back to the states. Feel free to reach out happy to provide a contact. I suggest demoing out the above before you’re over there. The imyfone app was the best purchase as I travel a ton it even worked when I was in Guangzhou to watch the UGA game last year despite Chinas firewall.
I’d be very cautious with visiting a bar because it’s World Cup time.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
Google is correct; your best bet is The Moose near Odeon. That's the Canadian bar where I was able to watch all my sports when I was living there. You can try to find my name carved on a table too. I doubly recommend it because this is a hub for the North American expats who live in the city (I ran the Americans in Paris March Madness Tournament out of there). So you can tell the wife you're actually there for a cultural experience, as one of the things Paris has been since the Middle Ages is a place where other nations and ethnicities have enclaves where they hold onto their own traditions. This is not a joke; "Real Paris" isn't just the Arc du Triomphe and Tour Eiffel, and meeting Americans who live there is a fantastic way to be introduced to things you wouldn't find in the tour guides.
I lived really close to The Long Hop which was good for most American sports, but on Saturday evening they're going to be 100% rugby not America Football.
If Wisconsin-Minnesota isn't at the same time you can also try Wide Open Space bar, which is owned by a Wisconsin couple. Just make sure you let them know you're rooting for the Badgers.
There are other sports bars all around town (like Belushi's) but there are more English who want to crowd into a pub to watch rugby than there are Americans who need to see The Game unfortunately. All of these bars speak English if you call ahead and ask.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:20 AM ^
It's humblebrag season! But seriously who vacations during THE GAME??? Priorities man!
October 27th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
A shitty feature of the game being on Thanksgiving weekend
October 27th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Based on the U-M Paris FB group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/185572444889192/), Au Caveau Montpensier is where folks gather
October 27th, 2022 at 11:53 AM ^
This is indeed where we gather. I haven't been in a few years, since before the pandemic, but it's an ok spot to catch the game. It's not a huge place, and the TV was rather small last time I went, but it's an option.
Otherwise, as some suggested The Moose is a good option and I would think will definitely have The Game on. And it has more of a sports bar atmosphere than Au Caveau Montpensier.
October 27th, 2022 at 12:36 PM ^
This is indeed the place (or at least where I watched games when I lived in Paris in the mid-2010s).
Uncool story bro: I will forever remember watching the end of the 2015 Staee game there, sitting next to a recent grad who, speaking during the timeout prior to the upcoming punt-of-which-we-do-not-speak, repeatedly said "We got this, we've won, why are you guys so worried?!?". Can't un-jinx that.
Made the right decision to take an hour walk home that night along the Seine instead of taking the metro.
October 27th, 2022 at 3:54 PM ^
My wife and I watched the 2018 Michigan vs. Michigan State game at this bar in Paris. We showed up early and I recall chatting with one of the co-owners who was either a Michigan alum or had some connections to the school. As others indicated, it is a little cramped inside, but there were at least 20+ people who showed up for the game and we had a blast watching it with fellow fans. Everyone went crazy when DPJ scored his long touchdown.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^
There was a Michigan bar in Paris like ~8 years ago when I was there. I ended up watching in the hotel, because the bar was packed by game time.
I’d recommend checking the Michigan Paris Alumni Facebook group or association page.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:30 AM ^
You can also try sending DMs to the French Michigan Twitter accounts. They will undoubtedly know the best venues.
@GoBlueFR
@maizeetblue
And the guys who run @TheTrickPlayFR are THE SOURCE in France for anything relating to College Football. It's a fun account to follow and a pretty good podcast for those French-speakers out there.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:43 AM ^
Okay, show off! Kiss my Tallahassee grits. :)
If you can, go to Mihn Chau in the Marais (pretty sure that was the name)--we had something with pork and bananas there that was off the chain. Tell me if there's still a portrait of Ho Chi Minh on the wall.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
I watched The Game here in 2019
October 27th, 2022 at 11:48 AM ^
Someone else in this thread brought this up and its a really good point I hadn't considered, but keep in mind the World Cup is going on during this time. If there are any other games going on during the Michigan-OSU game, good luck finding any bar within the entire country that will voluntarily show you a US college football game.
Especially if France is playing that day, just forget about it and watch it on your iPad in your hotel room.
October 27th, 2022 at 11:53 AM ^
I think the clear message to this story is...don't get married in the fall.
Happy 10 year anniversary!
October 27th, 2022 at 1:34 PM ^
My dad (who is the Michigan alum in the family, I guess that makes me a Walmart) had an aggressive terminal cancer and we moved up the wedding to catch him while he was still here. That’s why we got married on Thanksgiving weekend - it was the only last minute window where you knew everyone was free. He was (outwardly) healthy during the wedding, we had much joy. He was dead in five weeks.
I wouldn’t miss the game for anything, since I would’ve been watching it with him if he were still kicking.
October 27th, 2022 at 12:05 PM ^
I have lived through this.
The year of the 145-0 OSU win (or something to that effect) in 2018, we were in Paris. By dumb luck, the night before the game we were in a rowdy bistro sandwiched between two tables full of Michigan alums. We made a pact to watch the game together the next day.
Traipsed clear across the greatest city on earth to the Moose Bar at the recommendation of our hotel. We opened the door to a sea of scarlet. Wall to wall Buckeye fans. They were gracious enough to clear a table for us interlopers directly in the middle of the bar, however. We wound up having a great time even though the squad got smooshed.
October 27th, 2022 at 12:14 PM ^
It was several years ago (when Notre Dame was still standing), but if memory serves, I had good luck with The Great Canadian Pub, which is right on the Seine, just across from Ile de la Cite. Pretty sure I was there to watch us beat Michigan State in 2018. The weather delay...yeah I remember now. It was a fun time.
October 27th, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
Go to “Maison de Football Americain,” at 1586 La Rue Des Sports Americain
October 27th, 2022 at 1:20 PM ^
Anyone know where to watch the game from the Moon?