The rising tide of women’s sports bars

If you have any straight, male friends, you’ve likely heard by now if their favorite sports team is doing well in the current season of men’s football, or if they’re going to be upset for several weeks until it’s all over. Or perhaps you yourself are a fan of the game, and now that your team isn’t going to the Super Bowl, you’re looking for something to fill the void. May I introduce you to the rarely shown and endlessly exciting world of women’s sports? 

There has always been a battle for representation in national and global athletics for marginalized communities. A fact made only more evident these days, with a constant barrage of misinformation, misogyny, and violent vitriol against trans women in sports specifically. Now, more than ever, it is vital to support businesses and organizations that uplift and spotlight voices normally shoved to the side. Luckily, there seems to be a rising tide of bars and restaurants popping up that are determined to broadcast women’s sports exclusively. 

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The very first bar to kick off the party was Best of Gaycities nominee The Sports Bra. Established in 2022, owner Jenny Nguyen kindled a flame that has grown into a blaze in four short years. When diving deeper into the founding of these businesses, I discovered that many of the owners had something in common. Many were former athletes or simply lovers of the game, and all of them, frustrated by the complete lack of representation when going out to a sports bar, decided to make a change that has sparked a movement, steadily gaining speed and popularity. 

From the Rocky Mountains to the streets of The ATL

Founder of Jolene Jolene in Atlanta, Chelsea Fishman, and Jillian Hiscock of A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis are two of the many business owners who have that origin story in common. Both had grown disheartened at the difficulty in finding a woman’s game on any screen at any establishment anywhere. Jolene Jolene is currently acting as a pop-up experience all over Atlanta, and will have a permanent location soon. A Bar of Their Own is thriving, attracting people from all over Minnesota who want something a little different than the average sports bar experience.

If you’re heading westward, Denver has recently become home to The 99ers Sports Bar, a charming and casual spot offering great drink specials. Owners and business partners Miranda Spencer and Annie Weaver met playing flag football, and from there forged a strong business partnership that has led to the addition of a new all-women’s sports bar to the roster. They also offer trivia nights and, of course, show the Broncos when applicable, along with the usually programmed women’s games. Denver does bleed orange and blue, after all.

Visibility and representation in women’s athletics are obviously not issues isolated to the United States. A fact well known and experienced firsthand by one of Austin’s 1972 owners, Marlene du Plessis. Marlene grew up in South Africa, where opportunities for female athletes were scarce at best. Together with business partner Debra Hallum, they founded 1972, Austin’s first bar dedicated to showcasing women’s and gender-expanding sports. 

Continuing this trip back up North, we find ourselves in the Windy City, where it just so happens the women’s football team, the Chicago Winds, is stealing a fair few fans from the Bears. There’s no better place to jump on the bandwagon than at Babe’s Sports Bar. Owners and former college rugby co-captains Torra and Nora opened Babe’s to be a bar “by women, for women”, but as they say, Babe’s is a welcome place for anyone who loves women’s sports. 

Not only is the rising number of establishments dedicated to streaming more gender-inclusive sports a heartening sign, but the amount of people on all sides of the gender spectrum insisting on creating more spaces for it gives me some hope. Keep your eyes open for more spots popping up, and be sure to show some love to the ones that exist already when you’re in town. 

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