Designing an Epic Man Cave for NFL Season

by Jeremy Hoperidge

Football season — that time of the year where men around the country hunker down to hibernate in their man caves. The man cave is your Fortress of Solitude, your Walden Pond, your Bat Cave. It's the place where you can be who you really are without compromise, and love the things you love without guilt. And you love football. While you might have a plasma TV and comfortable sofa, do you have what it takes to build a truly epic man cave? Here are some inspiring ideas to help you build the perfect space to live in during football season.


Manly Décor


Create a color scheme by going for your favorite team's colors. Tear up that grey carpet. Paint over the basement walls, and replace blank wall space with proud colors of your team. Hang a giant framed picture of your team's mascot or a picture of the home stadium on opening day. Framed jerseys, autographed memorabilia and a custom-made neon sign are eye-catching wall coverings that show your devotion to your favorite team. If you have a signed football, display it prominently in a glass case near the TV.

Designing an Epic Man Cave for NFL Season

For more manly décor ideas, BroBible has collected what they consider the 50 most ridiculous Man Caves out there, and some of the football caves are downright impressive — with astroturf carpets and pig skin brown walls.

The Perfect Bar


In your man cave, access to beer needs to be quick and easy. It takes more than just a cooler full of ice and brews to make the jump from "basement with TV" to "epic man cave." A good cave bar is a testament to the nature of manliness, preferably built by hand out of sturdy wood. A decently sized fridge is also a must for storing drinks and food so you never lose sight of the game. For inspiration, go to your favorite local watering hole and observe its surroundings, especially if they'll let you look behind the bar. Plan on building the bar yourself? Get an idea of how to store everything, and mimic sports bar accents from Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar in New Orleans, the winner of ESPN's "No.1 Sports Bar in North America" award.

A good man cave bar requires more than just a solid bar top and a place to sit. Team shops carry tons of glassware with team logos emblazoned on them and dartboards in officially licensed color schemes.

Entertainment Center Armageddon


Decor, check. Bar, check. Now you won't be watching anything on that giant TV if you don't have access to the game. Grab a viewing package from a service such as Century Link, or the cave isn't complete. You don't want to watch the game in standard definition when there are HD packages out there capable of showing you every blade of grass on the field.

It takes more than just a TV and viewing package to make the game come alive in your man cave. The closest thing to being surrounded by screaming fans in the stadium is recreating the atmosphere with surround sound. Designing a solid surround sound set-up requires a mix of engineering and artistry, and it's best to trust the professionals. Luckily, surround sound speaker manufacturer Crutchfield offers a free tutorial on how to build a five-, six-, or seven-speaker home theater system with placement diagrams and installation guides. With a little effort and DIY spirit, you can transform your shed, extra room or basement into a truly epic experience.

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