Sportsman’s Corner: A Neighborhood Cornerstone

The exterior of the bar. Photo by Bethany Rogers.

Second and Dryades is a prominent intersection in Central City and all of New Orleans. Over the last several decades, this section of town has been a concentrated scene of neighborhood barrooms, second line parades, and Mardi Gras Indian practice and performance. The Sportsman’s Corner bar, often referred to as Second and Dryades because it sits on the corner of the intersection, is the only bar at this social and cultural juncture that has remained open over the last three and a half decades.

Mr. Louis Elloie opened the Sportsman “for the adventure” and today his daughter, Theresa, and grandson, Steven, carry on his legacy by making the bar a welcome and accommodating space for neighborhood residents and Central City’s many social and cultural groups. The Sportsman is the official barroom of Young Men Olympian Benevolent Association, and it is also a major stop in all Uptown second line parades, especially since many of the city’s typical parades stops remain closed since Katrina. The bar hosts an exceptional array of social events, ranging from baby showers to social aid and pleasure club “comin out” parties to seafood frys to the one and only Saints Crawl Party.

Interview with Myra Boudreaux

Myra Boudreaux, Sportsman regular, said, “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but this part of town because of all the happenings, especially at Second and Dryades. It’s the friendly people and activities that make it. We’ve got Mardi Gras Indians and second lines and regular parades. The bar is an important part of Second and Dryades because Mr. Louis was always so giving to everybody. He let different clubs and groups use his place for parties and meetings—that makes his bar a real neighborhood place and different from other barrooms.”