How Game Day looks different now

This past Sunday I attended my first ever Game 7. Cavs vs. Raptors, in Cleveland. It was an amazing experience start to finish, including a phenomenal second-half performance by my Cavaliers to seal the deal and advance to the next round.

Throughout the whole day, and after, I couldn't help but think about how this gameday would've looked before the Club Soda Club. And the sample size was large — the Cavs made four straight NBA Finals in the late 2010s, including a title, so I had plenty of reference points. Gameday went something like this: copious amounts of Jamo at Wilbert's, Clevelander, and City Tap (aka the Cleveland BARmuda triangle), rushing to make tip-off, getting heated and yelling stuff when the ball didn't go our way, maybe or maybe not fully remembering the post-game activities.

This time around it was a complete 180. Got to the arena about an hour early, walked around, saw old friends, made new ones, stopped by my plug for a club soda on the rocks, watched both anthems, and lived the whole game on the line without alcohol crutching the experience. I think the vibe rubbed off on the buddies sitting with me too. They drank less than they normally would have, and a big part of that is past me would've been the one buying rounds and pushing beers across the aisle. Current me wasn't, so the pace just naturally slowed.

Going to sporting events almost always involves drinking for most people, but I think that's just routine more than anything else. And routines are easier to break than you'd think.

Here's a few tips that worked for me:

1. Drive, and let that be your excuse. This is the simplest route as long as you've got the discipline to stay true to it. Drinking and driving, even slightly, is very bad. If you slip and end up having a drink anyway, please just Uber, or even give me a call. If I'm around, I'll happily come pick you up.

2. Tailgate with your own stash. Come prepared. Bring a six-pack of Topo Chico, or whatever bubbly you like, and post up like a pro. Same playbook I wrote about for holiday weekends — when you show up with your own, you don't have to negotiate with anyone or hope the cooler has something for you.

3. Find a club soda plug. Finding club soda on the rocks at a stadium might be a little harder than you'd think, but it's not impossible. Walk around a bit until you find a real bar inside the venue. Just say "I'll take a club soda on the rocks." They'll probably ask "just club soda?" so drop in whatever excuse you want: "I'm driving," "I'm not drinking tonight," whatever lands. Bartenders at sports venues (especially in Cleveland) deal with drunk and annoying customers all game long, so don't be shy. They'll be happy to serve you. And tip well — five bucks for a freebie club soda is a 500% tip and an instant friend for the rest of the night. This then becomes your routine. The first time feels weird. The third time feels normal. By the tenth, the bartender already has the glass on the rocks waiting for you, and you've just quietly built a brand new gameday habit without anyone making it a thing.

4. Stack the Jamo Fund while you're there. And then there's the Jamo Fund angle, which is loud at a place like Rocket Arena. Stadium beers are what, $14? $16? Past me would've put down four or five over the course of the game, plus the BARmuda triangle warm-up beforehand. That's easily $80–$100 saved in a single afternoon, dropped straight into the Jamo Fund instead of a bar tab I wouldn't remember the next morning. Multiply that across a playoff run and the math starts talking pretty loud.

Final Thoughts

The thing nobody tells you about going to a sporting event without drinking is that you actually remember the game. The whole game. Every possession, every call, every chant. You feel the building. You catch the small stuff — the kid in front of you high-fiving everyone on every bucket, the old-timer behind you who's been coming since the Delonte West days, the bartender who hooked you up with free refills at halftime.

The game becomes the show. Not the bar tab.

Cavs in 7 💪 . Bubbles all the way.

What's your move at sporting events? Hit reply … I read every one.

produced by Scott Nixon

Brandon Utlak is 16 months in, and his turning point was physical — heart palpitations, rapid heart rate, and one brutal hangover that finally sent him over the edge. He woke up and decided right then and there he never wanted to feel that way again. The mental clarity came fast, and so did better decisions. The hardest part? Not feeling like one of the boys anymore. But his biggest surprise wasn't about himself at all, it was realizing how many other people are walking the exact same path. You're not as alone in this as you think.

Know someone who's thinking about it? There's no membership requirement.

Part-time members, full-time members, "I'm just curious" members. All welcome. So whether you've got a friend who's been saying "I should probably cut back" every Sunday morning for the last six months, or a friend who's already all-in on the alcohol-free life and just hasn't found their people yet — send them your link . They subscribe to the free newsletter, you both win. No pressure, no program, no weird pamphlets.

Basically, if they've ever ordered a club soda (or anything else non-alcoholic) and felt like they had to explain themselves... they're already one of us.

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