Where Football Fever Is an Epidemic

Open since last St. Patrick’s Day, Superstars Sports Bar & Grill in Tarzana was made for “the regular sports fan.” Owner and manager Greg Sutalo said he made sure his bar has no affiliation to any particular team so no one feels as if he’s on the wrong turf. On a recent Sunday, while the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers battled each other for the NFC Championship, the fans of each team had their own battle going across the bar . . . and it wasn’t pretty.

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THE SCENE: The place has two large rooms, each with a big-screen TV. There is also a patio area with several tables and a TV. By kickoff of the NFC Championship game, it was standing room only and loud. All bar stools were taken, people were sitting on ledges and windowsills or were forced to stand in any open space available, sometimes in the way of others. “They need to expand it a little more,” said Lisa Surber, 30, of Tarzana. “They have more clientele than they thought. People have to go on the patio and it’s cold out there.”

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THE FANS: Most had been here since the AFC Championship game started at 9:30 a.m. The women were just as loud as the men. At one point in the fourth quarter of the San Francisco/Dallas game, Kimberly Batterson, a Dallas native living in Encino, screamed herself red in the face cursing the deflated Dallas fans after it was obvious San Francisco was going to win. “They just got a first down,” she screamed. “Come on! Why aren’t you idiots yelling?”

Not only were people cheering for their own team, but lewd insults about the other team were kicked around with ease. Actor Tommy Ford, who plays Tommy on the Fox comedy “Martin,” said, “I’m glad my friend asked me to come, or else I would be sitting at home watching in silence. Here, you can’t help but be a part of the crowd. It’s interesting how the energy of the crowd affects your energy.”

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THE SPORTS: Twenty hanging television sets, two big screens and three satellite links allow you to watch many different games from any seat in the room. Each of the booths has a theme relating to a different city. The Washington, D.C., booth, for example, features trading cards of Washington-area sports teams such as the Bullets, Redskins and Orioles under the glass of the table.

In addition to a dartboard and pool table, there is an interactive football game called QB 1 in which individuals compete against other bars across the country to correctly guess the next play of a particular game. All play calls can be seen on a special screen in each room. An interactive general trivia game is offered when football is not on, and the state-run lottery game, Keno, is available.

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THE GOOD: “I love the raucous,” said Jerry Butler of Van Nuys, who escaped to the patio to get some fresh air. “These are real fans who know football. They’re intense, but funny. Also, you’re allowed to smoke. That’s important.” Butler planned to light up a special cigar if the 49ers won.

The Wiggins family had been at the bar since 9 a.m. “They have the best bartenders here,” said daughter Meki, 23, of Hollywood. “It gets wild at times, but everybody’s friendly and gets along.” Cousin Barry Wiggins, who found out that Meki’s mother was his cousin while at the bar the previous week, said, “I like the ability of this place to unite families.”

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THE BAD: Be prepared for fans like Wayne Cross, president of a Dallas Cowboys fan club in Los Angeles, whose frustrated antics caused drinks to spill on people and furniture to break. “I don’t like that people are separated,” he said. “Everyone should watch the game from one big room so we can talk trash to each other. It’s more fun that way.”

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THE WORD: “Na-na- na -na, na-na- na -na, hey- hey -hey, good-bye,” sung by the San Francisco fans once Dallas running-back Emmitt Smith re-injured his hamstring and left the game.

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Superstars Sports Bar & Grill, 18663 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. Open 10 a.m. to midnight on Super Bowl Sunday. Regular hours: 11:30 a.m. to midnight Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays. Information: (818) 758-9020.