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Axios
19-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Women's athletics take center stage at Title 9 Sports Grill
If you're looking for a good spot to watch the Phoenix Mercury this season, the Valley's first sports bar focused on women's athletics might be right up your alley. State of play: Title 9 Sports Grill opened in March in the space previously occupied by Short Leash Hot Dogs in the Melrose District. The bar was opened by Audrey Corley, owner of Boycott Bar and Dahlia Tapas, Tequila and Wine, and Kat Moore, who owned Short Leash with her husband, Brad. Corley, who played and coached basketball at Phoenix College, thought about opening a women-focused sports bar for at least three years and was looking at locations. The perfect opportunity came along when Kat and Brad Moore reached out, she told Axios. She compared the new sports bar to the new-look Phoenix Mercury. "We're the new kids on the block and so is our whole team. I think we're going to grow up together." Why it matters: Title 9 came along as women's sports in the U.S. is in the midst of a major moment, which Corley called long overdue. "Basketball has been such an intricate part of my life," she said. "And right now I think the push and the energy behind women's basketball is just kind of where it's at." The bar is named for the 1972 federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs and activities, which opened the door to women's athletics as we now know them. Zoom in: Corley said Title 9 is off to a good start. The bar opened on the eve of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, and did great business during the Final Four and championship. Some customers have been older women who missed out on the benefits of Title IX themselves and relish the opportunity to relive the athletics of their youth. Plus, "You'd be surprised how many guys we get," Corley added.
Forbes
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Grand Opening Of Title 9 Sports Grill Celebrates Women Athletes
Title 9 Sports Grill partners cut the Grand Opening ribbon launching Phoenix's first restaurant/bar ... More dedicated to women in sports. Opening a restaurant is supposed to be a nerve-wracking, stress-inducing experience that causes anxious sleep deprivation. But Audrey Corley and married couple Kat and Brad Moore seemingly didn't get the memo. Instead, just a few days before the March grand opening of their new venture, the Title 9 Sports Grill, the partners were strangely cheerful and lighthearted. Maybe their combined decades of restaurant, bar and culinary experience had something to do with their untroubled demeanors. This is definitely not their first rodeo, but it is a historic one. Walking into Title 9 Sports Grill, it's obvious this is not a typical cookie-cutter bar, even though there are some common sports bar amenities like a pool table, games and huge bank of televisions. That's where the similarities end. Title 9 is a joyful celebration of women in sports. There's a trophy wall, medals hanging from the ceiling, and walls covered with photos of noted female amateur and professional athletes. Some photos even have QR codes linking to bios of the pictured athletes. An entire hallway is dedicated to influential women in Arizona athletics, and a poster invites patrons to bring in their old trophies for display. Supporting the theme is a grand, pink glowing sign in cursive that reads 'Play Like a Girl!' The neon sign is a focal point at Title 9 Sports Grill. Audrey, Kat and Brad, all award-winning veterans of the Phoenix scene, joined forces in December to create this unique concept restaurant/bar that specifically focuses on the past, present and future of women in sports. As the name implies, it is based on the historic implementation of landmark civil rights legislation that resulted in Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972. Athletics is one of the 10 areas addressed by the watershed law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational institution that receives federal funds. It mandates equal access to participation and equitable treatment, evening the playing field by offering women the same competitive opportunities as men. At the collegiate level, for example, that meant establishment of athletic scholarships for females proportionate to the percentage of athletes of each sex. According to the extensive 2022 Women's Sports Foundation report, Title IX at 50, the legislation has had a far-reaching impact on the upward trend of girls and women participating in athletics. Female participation has grown from 29,977 in 1972, to 226,212 competing in NCAA institutions in 2021-22. a whopping 618% increase. Today, women make up 44% of NCAA athletes. A trophy wall greets customers as they walk into Title 9 Sports Grill from the patio. Both Audrey (basketball) and Kat (soccer) experienced the physical, mental and emotional benefits of playing sports, one reason Title 9 was such an attractive concept for their venture. 'I always say that being on the Phoenix College women's basketball team saved my life, because I knew I was on the right track and going the right direction,' said Audrey (Coach A), who played on the boy's YMCA team as a youngster. Hearing Eye of the Tiger still gives the former coach goosebumps because it resonates with persistence, heart and passion, qualities developed in her athletic career that continue to motivate her today. A poster invites women to drop off their trophies for display. Audrey has been in the hospitality/bar industry since she was 18, and has owned the popular Boycott Bar, Arizona's only lesbian nightclub, for nine years. She is also an owner of Dahlia Tapas, Tequila and Wine. The popular Boycott made USA Today's 2024 list of 27 'Best Bars in America,' and was recognized for offering a 'safe, inclusive experience for the community.' Kat and Brad Moore cut their culinary teeth on creating gourmet hotdogs and brioche donuts, establishing local favorite Short Leash Hotdogs + TAPROOM 15 years ago. They operated several kiosks, plus the bricks and mortar location in Phoenix's happening Melrose District just down the street from Boycott Bar. When they sold their brand and retained the location, delicious serendipity happened. Audrey was looking to expand, the Moore's wanted to start a new themed venture, the parties met, the timing was right and a collaboration made in restauranteur heaven was born. The business neighbors became business partners. Each brings individual skills and expertise to Title 9, but they are bound primarily by a strong commitment to the community and a shared sense of fun and adventure. They have easily fallen into their roles – gregarious Audrey is definitely the 'front of house' person; Kat, the chef; and Brad, the administrator. 'He'll be the serious one,' laughed Kat. 'But,' she added, 'We all have mutual respect for each other and I think if you have that, you're always going to find a way to make it work, right?' Jsut a few of the many photos of accomplished female athletes. Some have QR codes linking to ... More biographical information. Chef Kat has been cooking all her life and oversees the food menu that features elevated sports bar food in a comfortable restaurant setting. She highly recommends the Chocolate Cherry or Thai Peanut Sliders, and the famous fried pickles, a carryover from Short Leash. 'My mom was amazing and I just grew up with her in the kitchen all the time. I mean, she would make Beef Wellington for fun,' she recalled. Audrey, on the other hand, considers herself 'a chef of drinks,' and a foodie. 'Most people, you know, eat to live. I live to eat. I'm not gonna lie, I love food,' she joked. Title 9 offers a full alcohol and non-alcohol drinks menu with signature cocktails named after legendary female athletes. Try the Pat Summit Sour, Ledecky Lit, Taurasi Goat-Tail or Maher Mule. Even the proprietors get their own drinks – the Kickin' Kat Collins and the Coach A. Title 9 Sports Grill has ll the amenities of a usual sports bar, but goes beyond in concept, food ... More and drinks. The number of bars in the United States dedicated to showing women's sports is expected to quadruple this year, from six at the start of 2025 to about two dozen by the end of the year. Title 9 Sports Grill, however, stands alone in its inventive focus on food, family fun and inclusivity. Don't call it a 'women's bar.' It is, instead, a place where women athletes are celebrated and men, women, friends and families are all welcome. Women's and men's collegiate and professional sports are aired, with a weekly television schedule posted on the website. It's a distinction that Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes noted at the Grand Opening. Fontes, who attended with his wife and kids, expressed appreciation for Title 9's inclusive nature. 'You don't have to be a woman to come,' said the father of three girls. 'I'm here with my family today. We're having a great time. You know, the environment is lively, the food's good, the drinks are delicious. And there's no reason why everybody shouldn't feel welcome in a place that celebrates women.' He added, 'This is a celebration of some of our society. You know, you don't shy away from a Mexican food joint if you're not Mexican, right? Why would you shy away from a woman's bar if you're not a woman?' Those are points that Kat and Audrey had in mind when creating Title 9. Said Kat, 'I just want people to come in with excitement and hope for the future, right? That little girls or boys can come in here and feel like they have a chance to be something great and do great things.' Audrey agreed, adding, 'I want them to be like, 'this is pretty cool.' I don't want it to feel like a regular sports bar. I want it to feel different. I want it to feel like Title 9 includes everybody, and that it's a place where everyone's welcome.' (L-R) Kat Moore and Audrey Corley are the happy proprietors of Title 9 Sports Grill. Behind them is ... More a poster explaining the history and importance of Title IX legislation. Title 9 Sports Grill is launching at an interesting time. It is impossible to celebrate the Grand Opening without also addressing assaults on the official Title IX legislation. Executive Order 14168 issued in January 2025 – Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government – narrowed the scope of Title IX, rescinding 2024 regulations regarding gender identity and sexual orientation that protected transgender students. The Order is based on the Administration's insistence on biological, binary sex identity recognizing only male and female, at birth and essentially eradicates protections for claims based on gender orientation/identity. And should the Department of Education, which enforces, investigates and processes Title IX claims be eliminated, the future of the milestone law is murky. While not wanting the venture into political waters, the owners couldn't help but address the issue. Said Audrey, 'It's very frustrating because we've come so far, to just get pushed back. It's frustrating on all levels, especially as women right now, we're still trying to thrive just to get slapped in the face and to get sent back.' Added Kat, 'I think we have to come together as women, and the more we start uniting, the better we'll be. And I feel like in this day and age, the fact that we care about people's sex or who they love or who they sleep with or who they marry or whatever is just absurd. It's so ridiculous.' Secretary Fontes was even more forceful in his response regarding the issue, saying, 'Civil rights is not pie. You don't serve it out in pieces, with somebody else getting more and you getting less. That zero-sum game mentality comes from a place of insecurity and privilege and it just betrays this ridiculous attitude.' He added, 'I'm not a fan of the politics of grievance. I'm a fan of the politics of hope. And so folks who want to take us backward, they're grieving the fact that other people are rising to be in a place where they can achieve, where their efforts can pay off just like everybody else.' The beginnings of a "medal ceiling" at Title 9 Sports Grill. It's undeniable that Title IX has had a positive impact on girls and women for the past 53 years. And while many who benefit from its protections are not even aware of the law's existence, Sister Lynn Winsor has been there from the beginning and can attest to the ways it changed the athletic landscape for girls. The 81-year old Sister is recognized on the Title 9 Sports Grill Arizona wall as a transformative leader who was instrumental in creating the athletic powerhouse that is Xavier College Preparatory today. As the athletic director of the private girls' Catholic high school, the 81-year old dynamo has been a fierce proponent of women in sports and athletics administration for over 50 years. Under her leadership, Xavier has amassed 158 state championships, including a record 39 state golf titles. Sister Lynn Winsor among some of the hundreds of trophies won by Xavier College Prep athletes. She recalled that when Title IX became law, nobody really paid attention or envisioned its potential. As one of the founders of the Arizona Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (AIAAA), and the executive board Girls Equity and Sports Committee, she evaluated schools for parity following the enactment of Title IX. One of her earliest memories was of a school that provided baseball with big dugouts and scoreboards, while girls' softball had no dugouts, no scoreboards, and just a broken-down wooden bench. 'That changed because we said if your school doesn't fix this, it will be a Title IX violation,' she said. 'Sometimes litigation is the way you have to go. Now the girls will go after them and there's no fear. In the old days, there was. But now it's perfectly fine. And the girls should do it. And their parents should, too. We've been promised equity,' she stated emphatically. Because of Title IX and advocates like Sister Lynn and others, more girls than ever are participating in sports at a young age. While girls comprised just 7% of high school athletes participating on varsity teams in 1972, that number grew to 42% in 2021. And the number of girls playing high school sports increased to a record-high 3.42 million in 2023-24. So, as Women's History Month comes to a close, Title 9 Sports Grill patrons will raise a glass to the continued pursuit of equity and recognition of women in sports. And perhaps they'll be watching the Women's NCAA Final Four championship telecast outdraw the Men's by four million viewers, like it did in 2024.
Washington Post
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
With March Madness underway, it's game time for newly opened women's-sports bars across the US
PHOENIX — When you walk into Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix's Melrose District, its mission to be a haven for watching women's sports permeates every nook and cranny. From the over dozen TVs mounted on pink and orange walls to the 'Play Like a Girl!' neon sign against a giant image of retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi .
The Independent
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
With March Madness underway, it's game time for newly opened women's-sports bars across the US
When you walk into Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix 's Melrose District, its mission to be a haven for watching women's sports permeates every nook and cranny. From the over dozen TVs mounted on pink and orange walls to the 'Play Like a Girl!' neon sign against a giant image of retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi. It's an impressive turnaround for co-owners Audrey Corley and Kat Moore. Just before Christmas, the space was still Moore and her husband Brad's hot dog restaurant. But last summer they sold the business and the new owners didn't want to stay in the property. That's when Corley, who owns a popular lesbian bar on the next block, proposed partnering on the city's first women's sports-centric bar. She had been mulling the idea since reading about the Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, which opened in 2022, and then seeing a half-dozen similar bars emerge in the last year. 'Then I see, you know, another one popped up here and another one. And then I was like, it's just time. It has to be,' Corley said before Title 9's grand opening earlier this month. Several new bars dedicated to women's sports have made the mad dash to open in time to capitalize on March Madness, now in full swing. From San Francisco to Cleveland, there will be more than a dozen across the country before the year is over. The femme-focused bar scene has made huge strides from three years ago when The Sports Bra was the only one. It comes during an exciting first year during which teams in the women's bracket will finally be paid for playing in the NCAA tourney. Many credit stars like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese for increasing the marketability of female players. Last season, Reese and Clark's teams never saw a dollar. Now, the women's teams will finally earn individual revenue, known as 'units.' A unit is money paid to conferences when one of its teams appears in the NCAA Tournament. Teams earn another with every game played. The most seamless part of transforming her old restaurant into Title 9 has been the built-in community anticipation of having a place to view women's sports, Moore said. "The only question I've gotten from quite a few men, especially when we first started telling people, was, 'Are men allowed?' Yeah!' Moore said, with a chuckle. Named for the landmark 1972 law that forbids discrimination based on sex in education, including athletics, Title 9 is filled with tributes to female athletes, from framed photos with QR codes to a cocktail roster with drinks such as the Pat Summitt Sour and Taurasi Goat-Tail. However, the owners emphasize a family-friendly atmosphere where young girls can come celebrate after a school game. 'Even some of the little girls, they could come here and dream of being on the TV someday and actually getting paid for it,' Corley said. Debra Hallum and Marlene du Plessis were also inspired by the Sports Bra. They made their targeted opening in Austin last week of 1972 ATX Women's Sports Pub across from the University of Texas campus. The day included a rainbow ribbon cutting and officials from the Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce. While they are in a conservative state, the women have been emphasizing the bar's LGBTQ-friendliness. 'We want to be very clear that we will be a very welcoming and inclusive space for all women sports fans,' Hallum said. 'We want to invite everyone to grow the interest and the viewership, because that's the only way we're going to fix that gap for women, including the pay gap.' Neither woman has hospitality experience. Hallum has a corporate background and du Plessis' is in education. But, they researched running a business like this and hired a talented chef and staff. It's clear both are passionate. 'It is so hard to find a bar or a pub that will show women's sports,' du Plessis said. 'You always have to call around, ask around to find where they going to show it. And then most of the time you know they will not have the sound on. And we will.' They've been touched by the reactions from residents, even parents of boys. 'We had a mom and dad, two daughters and their son show up and (the mom) was all about, 'This is exactly what we need,'' Hallum said. 'We want our son to be raised knowing that this is just as great and just as wonderful as men's sports.' In Denver, Annie Weaver and Miranda Spencer met playing on opposing flag football teams. A month later, they began drafting a business plan for a similar concept, also inspired by The Sports Bra. Open since December, the 99ers Sports Bar is now hosting its first March Madness crowds. They were first mulling a name that would play off of Mia Hamm, the 1990s soccer icon who inspired Weaver's Halloween costume for years. They settled on a name that honors the 1999 U.S. Women's World Cup soccer team, filled with names and faces that didn't get as much attention as Hamm. On a recent Sunday, the bar was standing room only as the TVs aired an NWSL game, Unrivaled semifinal games, and the Selection Sunday broadcast announcing the brackets for the NCAA Tournament. The city doesn't even have any women's teams in the major national leagues, but it was recently awarded the 16th NWSL expansion team, to begin play in 2026. A tri-fold bracket covered one table, and an impromptu friendship bracelet-making station occupied another. 'I wish I would have had this space growing up,' Spencer said. These new bar operators agree this is not a trend but an indicator of a market that hasn't been served. But hopefully, anyone looking to open a women's sports bar isn't doing it 'just to be trendy,' said Moore, of Title 9. Corley's most important advice for any would-be barkeep: "The same way you play sports for the love, open this up for the love.' ___ Peterson reported from Denver.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Boycott Bar celebrates 8 years of community in Melrose "gayborhood"
Audrey Corley attributes the success of owning Phoenix's only lesbian bar for eight years to the power of community. "Everyone asks me how I do what I do, but it's not just me doing it. I'm surrounded by amazing people," Corley said. The bar's bright pink sign has long been a welcoming landmark along the 7th Ave. curve in the Melrose business district. Boycott Bar, named one of USA Today's best bars of 2024, celebrated its eighth anniversary in Melrose on March 8 with an all-night party that kicked off at 8 p.m. Though the tongue-in-cheek name might suggest it's exclusive to women, Corley's philosophy has always been that everyone is welcome, as long as they're not rude. In 2017, Corley purchased the bar from Rhonda Walden and her partner, Char Ortega, after Walden personally reached out to her, expressing she wanted her to buy the bar. Corley, and her long-time friend, Nicole Ennis, went to work revitalizing the historically lesbian bar space into yet another lesbian bar in the form of Boycott. "For me, it was very important to get to Melrose," Corley said, "when I would do these parties and events, it was very important to have a safe space here." Boycott Bar was featured in The Lesbian Bar Project, a documentary series and campaign dedicated to chronicling the stories of the last-standing lesbian bars still open across the country. The project arose at a time when there were 22 dedicated lesbian bars left across the country. Lesbian Bar Project is returned to Boycott Bar Thursday, in a recap of the bar's episode that aired in October 2022. Now that Boycott's a staple of the "gayborhood," Corley is in the process of expanding her brand. Title 9 Sports Grill is celebrating its grand opening this weekend, just steps from Boycott along the Melrose strip. The bar honors Corley's sports background and celebrates women athletes. The name is inspired by Title IX legislation, which has gained traction in the recent political arena. A collaboration between Corley and Kat Moore, co-founder of Short Leash Hot Dogs —Title 9 Sports Grill will be the first women's sports bar in Phoenix. It will join the ranks of Sports Bra in Portland, A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis, and Whiskey Girl Tavern in Chicago. Just east of the Melrose curve, Corley opened Dahlia Tapas, Tequila, and Wine on Seventh Street in 2023. Named after her partner's favorite flower, the fine-dining restaurant offers a menu focused on tapas, tequila and wine, as the name suggests. According to Corley, collaboration is key for both Melrose and the LGBTQ+ community in Phoenix. She believes that's the secret ingredient to her success. "When we came here, we were happy to be a part of the community because it's such a great community. It's community at the best sense of the world," Corley said, "There's a lot of good things on this little mile strip. Its community, long-term friendships, and cultivating a sense of family have carried Corley and her staff through the years. Not to mention her mother, a regular at many of Corley's events. In fact, Corley's mother was circling the neighborhood during Corley's first lesbian party event 21 years ago. After about a decade in the industry, Corley launched an event for queer women in 2004. While Phoenix had other lesbian bars at the time, like Cash Inn Country and zGirl Club (formerly Misty's), Corley wanted to create a stylish night out where women could dress up and connect with others. The event debuted at Blac-a-Zoli Grill on Seventh Street. Corley said she told her mother to sit this one out, unsure if the event would be a success. However, the valet later spotted her mom circling the block and invited her in to witness the event's success. "She was super proud," Corley said. Corley had told the owner she expected maybe 180-200 attendees at best but came through with a whopping 452. The numbers kept growing. Though not everyone on the Melrose strip has always been attuned to the spirit of collaboration or been supportive of the only lesbian bar in Phoenix, Corley said she's not one to point fingers or focus on the negative. "I'm not going to let a couple of bad apples ruin the fruit basket," she said. When Corley came out as a teenager, safe spaces for gay people — especially young lesbians—were hard to find. She found a sense of community through sports. In fact, Corley credits basketball with saving her life. After being expelled from high school in her senior year, she found herself at a crossroads, realizing she needed to change her path. She attended Phoenix College—'Go Bears!'—where she earned her GED and later a business degree with a psychology minor. During that time, she played college basketball and eventually started coaching. It was around that time that she met Ennis. Corley coached her for a while, and years later, brought her onto the Boycott team, alongside another long-time bartender, Joselyn Yariel Martinez. Though gay spaces are more abundant and certainly more open than they were in the past, the current political climate has brought about a backward shift in how safe people feel attending those spaces, said Corley. "It was different growing up, it was unsafe — it's still unsafe, let's be real — I think we've made progress, but it is sad to see the progress we've made being hindered right now," Corley said. Recent legislation that has targeted the rights of marginalized communities like the LGBTQ+ community has made LGBTQ+ spaces more relevant than ever, according to Corley. "It's not a time to be afraid, but to show out with love," Corley said. "It's sad that we still have to think about this, but it's also a chance for us to come together, stay together and build each other up. We're going to be here and keeping loving how we love," she said. At her "Fifty and Fabulous Birthday Bash" last month at Boycott, Corley delivered an important message to the community: at 50, not only was she here to stay, but so was the LGBTQ+ community. "It was a privilege denied to many, so I'm grateful I'm still here and surrounded by people I love," Corley said, "anything with greatness is usually a group of people, a team. I'm very lucky to have the supportive team I have. I walk into my spaces and my heart feels full." As for being 50 and still in the same business? "I'm a bartender at heart, always will be," she said. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Boycott, only local lesbian bar, celebrates 8 years in Melrose
