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Indianapolis Star
4 hours ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
The Sports Bra, West Coast sports bar known for showing only women's sports, coming to Indy
A West Coast-based sports bar is branching out to Indianapolis, and Hoosiers largely have the Indiana Fever to thank. The Sports Bra, a Portland, Oregon-based sports bar known for exclusively showing women's sports on its TVs, announced in a press release June 3 that it will be opening franchise locations in Indianapolis, Boston, Las Vegas and St. Louis. In the news release, Sports Bra founder and CEO Jenny Nguyen said the four cities' professional women's sports teams and fan bases made them attractive destinations for franchises, forming a "starting five" with the brand's Portland eatery, which opened in 2022. "Together, we're serving fans nationwide who are hungry for spaces that not only champion women's sports, but create a community where everyone feels like they belong," Nguyen said. "There is no better moment than this to open these places." The release did not specify a location for an Indianapolis Sports Bra nor a timeline for opening. Indianapolis found itself at the center of the women sports world last year after the Fever used the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft to select Caitlin Clark, a sharpshooting phenom from Iowa whose ascent to superstardom has coincided with massive jumps in women's sports viewership, revenues and financial investment. The Sports Bra has ridden that wave to expansion; since opening in 2022, the brand has received investments from the 776 Foundation, a fellowship program started by tech entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is also the husband of tennis legend Serena Williams. Hoosiers can expect familiar sports bar fare at the Sports Bra like burgers, appetizers and a full bar, with options for a wide variety of dietary preferences including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, non-alcoholic and dairy-free offerings, according to the news release. While Fever games could take center stage in Indy during the WNBA season, the bar also purports to show effectively every televised women's college sport. Each of the four new Sports Bra locations will be locally owned and operated with food from nearby producers and "support their hometown teams" with decorations and team memorabilia, the release said.
Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality
The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, opened its doors in 2022 to great community reception. PHOTOS: THESPORTSBRAPDX/INSTAGRAM PORTLAND – A rare sports bar dedicated to showing women's sports has built a loyal following in north-western United States, with the founder and many patrons hoping progress towards equality for female athletes will come with the growing popularity of such establishments. The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, opened its doors in 2022 to great community reception. 'The line was four blocks long the entire weekend when we first opened. It was mayhem,' said Jenny Nguyen, the founder of what is believed to be the country's first women's sports bar. Of the gender-based wordplay in the name, created by inverting two letters, Nguyen, 45, called it 'a tiny change that makes a dramatic difference'. She said the bar is a place where she imagined women's sports would not only be shown in a corner on the smallest TV, as at other venues, but instead on every screen and with the whole crowd invested in the games. But what really convinced Nguyen to open the business is what she thought it could mean for young girls just beginning to take an interest in sports. 'If we opened the door for six months and only one girl came in, looked at the TV, and felt like she belonged in sports, that moment would be worth it,' she said. On a day in April, as patrons watched the semi-final games of the US women's college basketball tournament, their cheers could be heard from the line outside as people waited to get a seat in the packed bar. Christi Smith-Ryan, 48, a regular of the bar, praised it for making women's sports 'accessible for everyone'. Her 44-year-old wife Nicole said: 'You can go to another sports bar to see a women's sporting event, but nine times out of 10, all the guys in the bar are not going to get excited about the game you're watching.' According to a 2024 survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia and four European countries, 73 per cent of those polled said they watch women's sports at least a few times a year, close to the 81 per cent who view men's sports with the same frequency. Moreover, the level of interest appears to be growing, as over half of those who watch women's sports said they only began doing so within the last three years, according to the survey by sports marketing platform Parity and online polling firm SurveyMonkey. 'Gender equality and the popularity of women's sports are deeply connected,' Nguyen said, noting that if more women are in positions of power, more money will be spent on advertising and TV deals for women's sports, allowing the industry to grow. Bree Edwards, 47, a Sports Bra patron who played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she was grateful for the progress that has been made towards equality for female athletes. She recalled that the first broadcast of women's football she ever saw was from the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 – but because the tournament was not aired widely in the United States at the time, she only saw it years later on a videotape. But although viewership for women's sports has been increasing, there are still major inequalities between male and female athletes. A World Athletics study showed that 87 per cent of the online abuse before and during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was directed at women. According to sports media outlet Sportico, no women were among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2024. But as audiences continue to grow, an NBC News analysis found that the number of women's sports bars in the United States is expected to quadruple to two dozen by the end of 2025. KYODO NEWS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Kyodo News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality
By George Galer, KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 14:11 | Sports, All, World A rare sports bar dedicated to showing women's sports has built a loyal following in the northwestern United States, with the founder and many patrons hoping progress toward equality for female athletes will come with the growing popularity of such establishments. The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, opened its doors in 2022 to great community reception. "The line was four blocks long the entire weekend when we first opened. It was mayhem," said Jenny Nguyen, the founder of what is believed to be the country's first women's sports bar. Of the gender-based wordplay in the name, created by inverting two letters, Nguyen, 45, called it "a tiny change that makes a dramatic difference." She said the bar is a place where she imagined women's sports would not only be shown in a corner on the smallest TV, as at other venues, but instead on every screen and with the whole crowd invested in the games. But what really convinced Nguyen to open the business is what she thought it could mean for young girls just beginning to take an interest in sports. "If we opened the door for six months and only one girl came in, looked at the TV, and felt like she belonged in sports, that moment would be worth it," she said. On a day in April, as patrons watched the semifinal games of the U.S. women's college basketball tournament, their cheers could be heard from the line outside as people waited to get a seat in the packed bar. Christi Smith-Ryan, 48, a regular of the bar, praised it for making women's sports "accessible for everyone." Her 44-year-old wife Nicole said, "You can go to another sports bar" to see a women's sporting event, "but nine times out of 10, all the guys in the bar are not going to get excited about the game you're watching." According to a 2024 survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia and four European countries, 73 percent of those polled said they watch women's sports at least a few times a year, close to the 81 percent who view men's sports with the same frequency. Moreover, the level of interest appears to be growing, as over half of those who watch women's sports said they only began doing so within the last three years, according to the survey by sports marketing platform Parity and online polling firm SurveyMonkey. "Gender equality and the popularity of women's sports are deeply connected," Nguyen said, noting that if more women are in positions of power, more money will be spent on advertising and TV deals for women's sports, allowing the industry to grow. Bree Edwards, 47, a Sports Bra patron who played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she was grateful for the progress that has been made toward equality for female athletes. She recalled that the first broadcast of women's soccer she ever saw was from the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 -- but because the tournament was not aired widely in the United States at the time, she only saw it years later on a videotape. Although viewership for women's sports has been increasing, there are still major inequalities between male and female athletes. A World Athletics study showed that 87 percent of the online abuse before and during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was directed at women. According to sports media outlet Sportico, no women were among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world last year. But as audiences continue to grow, an NBC News analysis found that the number of women's sports bars in the United States is expected to quadruple to two dozen by the end of this year. "There's still so much more work to do for the fight toward is just the beginning," Nguyen said.
Kyodo News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Kyodo News
Pioneering women's sports bar draws crowds, eyes path to equality
By George Galer, KYODO NEWS - 8 minutes ago - 14:11 | Sports, All, World A rare sports bar dedicated to showing women's sports has built a loyal following in the northwestern United States, with the founder and many patrons hoping progress toward equality for female athletes will come with the growing popularity of such establishments. The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, opened its doors in 2022 to great community reception. "The line was four blocks long the entire weekend when we first opened. It was mayhem," said Jenny Nguyen, the founder of what is believed to be the country's first women's sports bar. Of the gender-based wordplay in the name, created by inverting two letters, Nguyen, 45, called it "a tiny change that makes a dramatic difference." She said the bar is a place where she imagined women's sports would not only be shown in a corner on the smallest TV, as at other venues, but instead on every screen and with the whole crowd invested in the games. But what really convinced Nguyen to open the business is what she thought it could mean for young girls just beginning to take an interest in sports. "If we opened the door for six months and only one girl came in, looked at the TV, and felt like she belonged in sports, that moment would be worth it," she said. On a day in April, as patrons watched the semifinal games of the U.S. women's college basketball tournament, their cheers could be heard from the line outside as people waited to get a seat in the packed bar. Christi Smith-Ryan, 48, a regular of the bar, praised it for making women's sports "accessible for everyone." Her 44-year-old wife Nicole said, "You can go to another sports bar" to see a women's sporting event, "but nine times out of 10, all the guys in the bar are not going to get excited about the game you're watching." According to a 2024 survey conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia and four European countries, 73 percent of those polled said they watch women's sports at least a few times a year, close to the 81 percent who view men's sports with the same frequency. Moreover, the level of interest appears to be growing, as over half of those who watch women's sports said they only began doing so within the last three years, according to the survey by sports marketing platform Parity and online polling firm SurveyMonkey. "Gender equality and the popularity of women's sports are deeply connected," Nguyen said, noting that if more women are in positions of power, more money will be spent on advertising and TV deals for women's sports, allowing the industry to grow. Bree Edwards, 47, a Sports Bra patron who played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she was grateful for the progress that has been made toward equality for female athletes. She recalled that the first broadcast of women's soccer she ever saw was from the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1991 -- but because the tournament was not aired widely in the United States at the time, she only saw it years later on a videotape. Although viewership for women's sports has been increasing, there are still major inequalities between male and female athletes. A World Athletics study showed that 87 percent of the online abuse before and during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics was directed at women. According to sports media outlet Sportico, no women were among the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world last year. But as audiences continue to grow, an NBC News analysis found that the number of women's sports bars in the United States is expected to quadruple to two dozen by the end of this year. "There's still so much more work to do for the fight toward is just the beginning," Nguyen said.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Those mismatched 3-point arcs from March Madness last year? The Sports Bra made that court its bar
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The nation's first women's sports bar is flipping the script on one of the blunders from last year's NCAA Tournament. The Sports Bra acquired the court with the mismatched 3-point lines that caused a stir during the women's tournament games played in Portland, Oregon, in 2024, and installed it as a new bar top. The way Sports Bra founder Jenny Nguyen sees it, the court brought more attention to the women's tournament, and that attention highlighted how the women's side can no longer be an afterthought. And that, she says, is ultimately a good thing. 'For us, it's that memorializing it is actually kind of changing the narrative,' Nguyen said. 'It's like the silver lining of that, and kind of putting it in as a museum piece. And what better place to put it than at the Sports Bra?" Last year, when Portland hosted Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, the court had mismatched 3-point lines, with one side about 9 inches short of regulation at its apex. Five games were played on the court before the lines were redrawn for the regional final between UConn and Southern California. The NCAA said the mistake was the result of human error by the finishing company. The court issue was just one of a series of problems during the 2024 women's tournament. In Spokane, Washington, both the men's and women's opening-round games coincided with a youth volleyball tournament, forcing some of the women's teams to be housed at hotels across the state line in Idaho. The Utah women's team said that while there, players were subjected to racist abuse by a passerby. Additionally, a referee was pulled at halftime from an opening-round game in Raleigh, North Carolina, because of a conflict of interest. Another player was pulled from a game to remove a nose piercing. March Madness has been largely free of controversy this year on the women's side, which Nguyen sees as a positive in the growth of women's sports. That's why she made the old court into a bar top. 'We think it's the coolest story ever. Some of the other folks might think that it's the biggest mistake ever and that it just memorializes a mistake and is like a scar on the tournament, and that's just not the way we see it,' she said. The Sports Bra, which opened in 2022, was the first in a growing number of women's sports bars across the country, including Rough & Tumble in Seattle and A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis. With investment from Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, one of the founding owners of Angel City FC of the NWSL, the Sports Bra is looking to expand into additional markets. Parts of the infamous court may be incorporated in those future locations, too, Nguyen said. Similar to 2021, when inequity between the men's and women's weight rooms at the tournament spurred the NCAA to act — it's those incremental battles that lead to a better tournament for all the women and their teams. 'It's just a wild ride,' Nguyen said, 'but we're here for it." ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
