Football’s biggest game of the year can also mean the biggest Sunday of the year for Ames businesses, especially bars that cater to the national obsession the Super Bowl has become.

This year’s annual contest proved even more profitable for bars, as Iowans had a special incentive to pay close attention to the game — native son Kurt Warner, the National Football League’s MVP and University of Northern Iowa alumnus.

As Warner led his St. Louis Rams to a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans Sunday in Atlanta, bars in Ames were crowded with fans.

Scott Pattee, bar supervisor at Welch Avenue Station, 207 Welch Ave., said business was looking good without the help of any Super Bowl drink specials due in part to Warner fans rooting for St. Louis.

“It’s happy hour all night, which is our normal Sunday special,” Pattee said. “We’ve got it on seven TVs, including two big screens. We probably have more St. Louis fans than normal because Kurt Warner is from Cedar Rapids.”

P.J. Doran, bartender at Thumbs, 2816 West St., said Thumbs was doing business as usual, watching the game on a single 27-inch television, with one exception — the food.

“We got more food than normal,” Doran said. “We’re doing a kind of potluck. Customers brought in crock pots with chili and cheese dips, chicken wings and one guy smoked a fish.”

Warner’s rise from Hy-Vee stocker to St. Louis Rams quarterback made more than a few football fans take notice.

Doran said Thumbs was seeing the impact of Warner’s newfound celebrity.

“Out of about 30 people, we’ve got two [Tennessee] Titans fans in here. People are rooting for the Rams because of the Kurt Warner connection,” he said.

Tyson Leiss, bartender at People’s Bar and Grill, 2428 Lincoln Way, said People’s drew a better-than-average crowd by offering $4 pitchers, but he did not see any sort of Warner effect.

“We’re not usually open until eight on Sundays,” Leiss said. “So yeah, we’re busier than normal. We have got six or seven TVs, all about 27 inches, but no Kurt Warner fans. People aren’t lined up either way.”