There was a time, not so long ago, when a bar that showed only women's sports was the kind of idea that got polite nods at cocktail parties and little else. That time appears to have passed.

The number of establishments dedicated to broadcasting women's athletics has grown from zero in 2021 to at least 27 today, with roughly a dozen more in various stages of planning or construction, according to a report in Front Office Sports. The concept emerged in the Pacific Northwest in 2022, when The Sports Bra opened in Portland and Rough & Tumble Pub followed months later in Seattle. But 2025 was the year of multiplication: the count quadrupled over those twelve months alone.

What is perhaps more notable than the growth is the survival rate. Only one such establishment has closed — the 1972 Women's Sports Pub in Austin, which fell not to indifferent customers but to eminent domain, its building claimed for a city light-rail project. (The invisible hand of the market, it seems, was less threatening than the visible hand of municipal transit planning.)

"We used to be almost 100% event-dependent," said Jillian Hiscock, owner of A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis, which opened in early 2024. "If there were really big games on, we were packed; if there weren't, we were empty. That has certainly changed." Ms. Hiscock, who raised more than $200,000 through crowdfunding to open her bar, said she has "zero desire" to expand beyond her single location, preferring stability to scale.

The shift from novelty to neighborhood fixture has been aided by a proliferation of professional women's leagues — ten have begun play since 2024, including ventures in baseball, lacrosse, and volleyball — and by media-rights deals that have made games easier to find on television. The early years required bartenders to maintain subscriptions to an archipelago of niche streaming services; that headache has largely subsided.

Not every headache has. Tariffs and food costs continue to squeeze margins across the hospitality industry, and women's sports bars are not exempt. Jen Barnes, who owns Rough & Tumble and opened a second Seattle location in December, offered a blunt assessment of the arithmetic: "Realistically, if we wanted to hit our margins properly, that's about what we should be selling for," she said of a hypothetical $40 burger. "But we just can't do that."

Jenny Nguyen, who founded The Sports Bra, reported sales down roughly 10 percent year over year at her Portland location, prompting conversations about expanded happy hours and half portions.

The Sports Bra has nonetheless pursued the most ambitious expansion in the category. With backing from the 776 Foundation, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Ms. Nguyen announced five franchised locations last year in cities including Boston, Indianapolis, and Las Vegas. A summer crowdfunding campaign raised $1.25 million for a Portland headquarters where future franchisees will train. The company's stated goal is 40 locations and $75 million in annual revenue by 2030.

Whether that pace is sustainable remains an open question. A July report in The Oregonian noted an 18 percent drop in sales between 2024 and 2025, along with widening operating losses. Ms. Nguyen attributed the figures to the up-front costs of building a national organization and said the deficits have since been erased through revenue and prior investment.

"I don't think that anything that The Sports Bra is doing right now is of a normal pace for a business," she acknowledged.

The calendar, at least, offers encouragement. The 2027 Women's World Cup will be followed by the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles — the first Games scheduled to feature slightly more women athletes than men. For an industry built on watch parties, worse things could appear on the horizon.

Original story published in Front Office Sports: "Women's Sports Bars Level Up"