St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, LeBron James’ alma mater, is hosting the only public watch party in Akron for Game 7 of the NBA Finals beyond bars and restaurants.
Two potential parties at much larger venues in the city appeared to fizzle by Saturday afternoon, leaving hopeful fans with no options in Akron beyond the 1,831 seats inside Lebron James Arena at the high school.
But for those willing to venture outside of the city, Cuyahoga Falls will be hosting a watch party at Falls River Square at 8 p.m. Sunday. The game will be projected on a giant screen on stage. The family-friendly event has seating for 300. No alcohol will be served.
In 2014, after James announced he was returning home, about 30,000 fans crowded into InfoCision Stadium on the University of Akron campus to celebrate.
Barley House is billing itself on social media as the official downtown Akron watch party site, but based on the Cavaliers website, no official watch parties in bars extend beyond Cuyahoga County, except for two in Columbus.
Akron officials have encouraged local Cavs fans to patronize bars and restaurants to watch the game.
If the Cavs win, it could be a once-in-a-lifetime moment for fans of Northeast Ohio big-league sports.
The Cleveland Browns were the last professional team to win a championship here.
It was 1964.
— By Amanda Garrett