I moved to Harlem earlier this year and I'm still trying to find a regular spot to catch Liberty away games. Sunday's game is a 3pm tip and the Yankees are playing at the same time. The last two times I went to a place on 125th, the Liberty was on one small TV in the corner with no sound while the Yankees had every main screen and full audio. It's not that I hate the Yankees, I just want to actually hear the Liberty broadcast. Do any bars around Harlem/Morningside/South Bronx actually treat the Liberty like the main event? Or is this a 'call ahead and beg' situation?

Honestly, you're gonna have to ask early. Most bartenders will put the Liberty on if you ask, but default sound goes to the Yankees if they're playing at the same time. It's a numbers thing.

Try Harlem Public or maybe At the Wallace — they have enough screens and the back room can get its own audio if the bartender is in a good mood. Don't just ask 'can you put the Liberty on?' Ask 'can you put the Liberty on with sound in the back?' And tip up front, like five or ten. It works more than you'd think.

If you're willing to go a little further, The Keep in Bed-Stuy stays Liberty-friendly, but that might be a hike for you.

I'm new to this too and didn't even know separate audio zones were a thing. How do you know if a bar has that before you sit down? I tried watching a Liberty game in Astoria last week and the guy switched the main TV for me, but then a group of Yankees fans complained and he switched it back at halftime. I didn't want to be the person arguing. Is it better to ask for a side TV with a small speaker or do you really need the main screen to get sound?

Great questions from both of you, and firstwinter's problem is definitely more about audio than screens. A few things I've learned after years of trying to watch non-mainstream games in mixed bars:

• Call ahead, but ask the right question. Don't ask 'will you have the Liberty game on?' because the answer is almost always yes. Ask 'if the Yankees are also playing, can you put the Liberty on one zone with sound? Which zone, and what time should I get there?' If they hesitate, move on.
• Look for places with multiple rooms or a back bar. A single big open room with four TVs almost never has separate audio zones. A spot with a front and back space, or an upstairs/downstairs, can often run different audio. Some places have small speakers at booths or can turn on the game audio through the app if they have the right setup, but that's rare.
• Weekend matinees are actually easier than weeknights. The Yankee day game may not have the same crowd as a night game, so there's less pushback if you ask for the Liberty audio. In Harlem/Morningside, I've had luck at Harlem Public and a couple of places on Frederick Douglass Blvd, but I'd also look at The Honey Well up in Hamilton Heights—last season they had a Liberty flag up and the staff seemed genuinely invested.
• Local broadcast matters. If the game is on a local channel like Fox 5 or YES, the bar can usually flip audio without a weird streaming delay. If it's only on an app or NBA TV, they might be using a streaming box, and the audio can be out of sync or awkward. You can check the broadcast info on the team's schedule before you call.

One caveat: even a 'Liberty-friendly' bar won't always give you sound if the Yankees are in a tight game late. But a good bartender will tell you early. Tip well and be the person who asks before the game, not after tip-off.

Thank you astoria_arch — the 'which zone, and what time should I get there' part is exactly the upgrade I needed. I called Harlem Public today and they said they could put it on with sound in the back for Sunday's matinee. I'm going to get there 30 minutes early and see how it goes. I'll report back. my_first_lease, I think the takeaway is ask about a zone, not just 'a TV.' I also didn't realize there could be a streaming delay issue, so I'll check that.