Badger Spirit on Display: Sett Pub, Your Home for Sports and Live Entertainment
From a touchdown that sends a crowd into cheers to friends gathering for delicious food and a free concert, these shared experiences make the Sett Pub at Union South your campus home for sports and live entertainment.
The latest step in Sett Pub’s evolution into a home for sports and live entertainment is one you’ll notice almost immediately when you enter: new displays filled with Wisconsin Athletics memorabilia, Badger spirit and pieces of UW Marching Band history.
But don’t just glance at them on your way to find a seat. We invite you to look closer. Whether you’re stopping in for a meal, cheering on your team, or catching a Wisconsin Union Directorate Music Committee-hosted free concert, the displays are yet another reason to settle in and stay awhile.
There are stories throughout the displays, from Badger jerseys and championship trophies to a remarkably fragile piece of Bucky history. And above you? Well, you’ll want to look there, too.
“We want you to think about UW–Madison sports and events and Union-hosted live entertainment when you come into the Sett Pub,” Wisconsin Union Associate Director of Facilities Paul Broadhead said. “Where are we going to watch the volleyball match? The hockey match? The football game? The basketball game? Where can I go to free, live music? The answer: Sett Pub.”
More Badger Spirit, by Design
Creating that feeling took more than finding some memorabilia and putting pieces behind glass. The goal was never to turn Sett Pub into a museum. Our team wanted the space to celebrate Badgers of today alongside the traditions and moments that bring our community together.
Check out the wrestling shoes, rowing memorabilia, a Big Ten cross country championship trophy and other items representing Wisconsin Women’s Hockey and other Badger teams.
The three display cases you can see today tell different stories.
One is pure Badger spirit: think Bucky, striped bib overalls, and pompoms.
Another celebrates achievement, with trophies and reminders of Badger victories.
And the third turns toward another group that has supplied the soundtrack to countless Wisconsin celebrations: the UW Marching Band.
The band has a particularly meaningful place in the story of Union South. Its connection includes Badger Bash, the Union’s home football game tailgate celebration, where band performances help turn Union South and the surrounding area into a sea of cardinal and white.
Among the band-related pieces is the first pressing of the first recorded “On, Wisconsin!” album. The copy on is marked No. 1 of 17,000 and signed by the then band director.
Some of the most interesting stories aren’t just about what is inside the cases. They’re about what it took to get everything there safely, such as the measures taken to add an early Bucky Badger chest plate into the display.
It’s made of papier-mâché. It’s old enough that portions of the newsprint beneath its surface are visible, and it is extremely fragile.
Simply setting it down wasn’t an option. Years of wear meant some of its edges were already vulnerable. The facilities team needed to find a way to distribute its weight without making it unstable. Then they had to make sure an accidental bump to the case couldn’t send the irreplaceable piece shifting.
“There are certain things that are not replaceable,” Paul said.
That same attention went into the cases, themselves. These are not ready-made display cabinets that arrived in a box. Wisconsin Union craftspeople built them in-house.
Paul provided the general concept and requirements. From there, Union team members transformed an idea into finished pieces, making decisions about materials, finishes, shelving, lighting and preservation along the way.
Even the shelves were designed with the exhibits in mind, incorporating indirect lighting underneath them.
The displays also use specialized UV-protective glass and lighting selected to help protect the memorabilia. The goal was to approach the project with museum-level care so that today’s jerseys and equipment, along with the truly irreplaceable pieces, can remain protected for years to come.
And then there were the things that wouldn’t fit in a case. Overhead, you’ll find a rowing shell and a sousacycle, a custom-built UW Marching Band bicycle fitted with a sousaphone. Suspending these large pieces required custom mounts, carefully planned rigging points and secure overhead supports.
All told, Paul estimates the project represents hundreds of hours of work.
A Vision Realized
The installation has been more than a year in the making.
It brought together Wisconsin Union facilities team members, craftspeople, technology professionals, marketing staff and others across the organization. UW Athletics helped curate and provide pieces. UW Marching Band connections helped the team locate items. Other partners opened collections and offered expertise. The team brought the project to life while balancing their ongoing responsibilities.
For Paul, the result showcases something guests don’t always get to see so visibly: the extraordinary skill and teamwork that exists behind the scenes at the Wisconsin Union.
“This is an in-house creation that highlights what we are capable of,” Paul said. “We have some extremely talented people at the Wisconsin Union.”
Better Together
Watching sports has changed. A game that once required gathering around a television can now travel anywhere in your pocket. Paul has seen fans sit together while watching the same game separately on their phones.
Convenient? Sure.
The same as being in a room full of Badgers when Wisconsin scores? Not quite.
“There’s a real opportunity there to build community by folks finding reasons to hang out together and socialize and be together,” Paul said.
That shared experience is at the heart of the vision for the Sett Pub. The Union team wants fans to know that when there’s a game watch they want to experience with other people, the Sett Pub is their place.
Sometimes that could mean a packed room watching one major matchup. Other times, multiple screens and spaces can make room for fans following different Wisconsin teams.
Of course, cheering on your team works up an appetite. While at the Sett Pub, check out the dining options at Union South and how they can make your game watch experience delirious. At Sett Pub, dig into a Bucky Burger, which has two smash patties with cheddar cheese, bacon, grilled onions and our signature Sett sauce on a toasted bun, or share our hand-breaded Ellsworth cheese curds during your visit. Check out the full Sett Pub menu here: union.wisc.edu/dine/find-food-and-drink/the-sett.
A Story Still being Told
More memorabilia is expected, including hand-carved wooden javelins and pieces that nod to the Sett Pub’s entertainment history, including its DJ and other live music performances hosted by the student-led WUD Music Committee.
Even after hundreds of hours of work, there are still chapters to fill.
Come for the food, cheer on your team or catch a WUD Music concert. While you’re here, take a closer look around at the Wisconsin history and history in the making around and above you.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Sett Pub, your home for sports and live entertainment.
Visit union.wisc.edu/events-activities/on-tv for the most up-to-date Union game broadcast schedule, and visit union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar for special events.
The Wisconsin Union would like to thank the Leckone Family, the UW Marching Band and UW Athletics for their help in making this display possible.
