Players Sports Grill, located across the street from CSUSM, is a place for students and faculty to unwind after a long week of hard work.

Players Sports Grill has two locations, Poway and San Marcos, and the San Marcos location has been in business since July 7, 2011.

Ted Semprini, owner and creator of Players Sports Grill, is originally from Hyannis, Massachusetts and is a die-hard Boston sports fan.  

“As passionate as I am, I mean it is not just about the Patriots, [the sports teams] are everything. We are just as passionate about our sports as people are about food, I mean it is just what we do.”

Semprini has been in San Diego for 24 years and originally had a Players in Clairemont for 14 years until its unfortunate closing.

“It is not [there anymore] we ran into leasing problems and we kind of got forced out.”

In 2015, however, Players Sports Grill was voted San Diego’s Best Sports Bar by the San Diego Union Tribune Reader’s Poll.

Semprini says there’s a sense of community within the restaurant thanks to returning customers.

“I hate to be cliche but this is Cheers. People come in, everybody gets to know your name and you know where they are going to sit, what they are going to eat. It is pretty awesome.”

Customers even add to the collection of sports memorabilia that fill the walls of the restaurant.

“Everyday, every single day, I put something new on the walls,” said Semprini. “Because throughout the 24 years running this business, every piece of memorabilia has been given to me by one of my customers. I would say, five pieces on the walls is mine and I have so much stuff in my house. But people are just being generous [and] thinking of me.”

Die-hard Patriots fan and loyal customer to Players Grill, Crystal Ervin has been coming to Players for one year.

“This is Little Gillette … home … family and football,” said Ervin. “This is why it’s unique and considered my second home.”

Ervin said her favorite thing about Players is the food and all the new friends she has made at the bar.

“French fries and cheese sauce is my favorite food on the menu. But my favorite thing about Players is all the new friends I have made coming to this bar.”

On Sundays, customers can enjoy the restaurant’s popular 50-cent chicken wings with different flavors: teriyaki, BBQ, spicy BBQ or garlic parmesan served with ranch dressing.

Players also offers Taco Tuesday every Tuesday with $2 tacos, beef or chicken, from 2 p.m. to midnight.

The restaurant’s happy hour is Monday through Friday 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and offers $2 off of all pints and $1 off of super-well drinks and house wines.

Semprini said Players Sports Grill would not be here today without support of the CSUSM community.

“That campus from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., seven nights a week [is here]. Without that campus, I don’t know if we would still be in business. That is why we became one of their sixth corporate sponsors in their new gym because we wanted to show our support, but also because the support from that campus over here is tremendous.”

Players in San Marcos is open Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 2 a.m..