All Women’s Sports Bar Network
You might not have heard of Jenny Nguyen, but she is a modern-day pioneer in women's sports. In April 2022, owner and chef Jenny Nguyen founded the world’s first sports bar that exclusively televises women’s sports and created a community for women and LGBTQ+ sports lovers. Last week, we featured Jax Diener who was directly inspired by Nguyen's work. Since The Sports Bra opened, 5 others have opened around the country and are thriving. The Sports Bra has recently announced expansion plans, and we can't wait!
“The Sports Bra was created to flip the status quo, put women’s sports fandom on the map, and put women and girls’ athletics where they have belonged all along: front and center.”
AWSN: Why a sports bar for women? Tell us how the dream began.
Jenny Nguyen: I’ve been a lifelong basketball player and fan for almost as long as I can remember. I picked up a ball around 5 years old and up until very recently, rarely put it down. I grew up here in Portland and remember idolizing the Blazers. It wasn’t until the Olympic Dream Team in ’96 that I really started to see women playing the sport I loved, and seeing them play on TV changed everything for me.
I became an obsessed women’s basketball player AND a fan, and it quickly occurred to me that representation IS everything. Seeing is believing. So as I got older I started to see more and more clearly how for over 40 years, American sports bars (and maybe all sports bars?) have really only catered to less than half the population. Not only in what they showed, but what they served and who they invited in. The Sports Bra was created to flip the status quo, put women’s sports fandom on the map, and put women and girls’ athletics where they have belonged all along: front and center.
AWSN: Sitting at your bar top is a dream team of your favorite female athletes past or present, who are they?
Jenny Nguyen: Wilma Rudolph, Jackie Joyner Kersee, FloJo, Serena Williams, Billie Jean King, Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Naomi Osaka, Lindsey Yamaguchi and Megan Rapinoe.
“We opened at the “tail end” of the pandemic and banks and big lenders were not at all interested in helping fund a first-time business owner of a concept that had literally never been done before. So I created my very first deck and did my very first pitch ever to friends and family and then launched what would become an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign. The Bra exists thanks in large part to the donations of the community!”
AWSN: How do you decide which games and events to showcase? Are there any specific criteria or strategies you use?
Jenny Nguyen: Great question! Our goal is to show as much as humanly (and legally) possible! But we will default to what’s popular or most requested if there are more than 5 different games on at once (we have 5 TVs).
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while establishing this business? How did you overcome them?
The very first big hurdle was research! Since there was no other sports bar focused on women’s sports, we ended up having to carve our own path! Being a trailblazer is challenging but has its perks too, like the community being SUPER patient with us as we were figuring things out!
The second biggest hurdle was financing. We opened at the “tail end” of the pandemic and banks and big lenders were not at all interested in helping fund a first-time business owner of a concept that had literally never been done before. So I created my very first deck and did my very first pitch ever to friends and family and then launched what would become an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign. The Bra exists thanks in large part to the donations of the community!
How do you foster a sense of community among your patrons? Are there any particular events or traditions that have become staples of your bar?
The ecosystem where women’s sports exist is so incredibly robust. The fabric of the culture that exists in the space is made up of a million threads and those threads touch on every aspect of the human experience. It may seem overly dramatic, but it is so true. There’s no creating, doing, loving, watching, seeing, or enjoying women’s sports without a million other emotions, and a million other intricacies linked to it. So by creating The Sports Bra and spaces like them, we are inviting an entire movement and culture that radiates inward as much as outward — a sense of community is inherent to the women’s sports movement. The best way to “foster” this movement is to listen, learn, create, and continue to give the people what they deserve and what they want — women’s sports.
“Lift up those around you including those who lift and inspire you. Know that competition is what’s done at the ground level, collaboration is what’s done at the top.”
Do you see growth in media coverage and viewership of women’s sports affecting your business? In what ways?
Absolutely. When we opened in 2022, there was not enough content to keep the TVs on. We needed to show replays, we had screensavers up, and we sometimes showed women’s sports movies instead. Now, with not only way more live sports available both on streaming and through inline providers, plus the addition of so many new professional women’s sports leagues and teams, we are seeing an unprecedented rise in viewership.
If you could host any women’s sports team or athlete at your bar, who would it be and why?
It’s a toss-up between Dawn Staley and Serena Williams. Both women are incredibly strong leaders, champions, ground-breaking and trailblazing women who have literally changed how girls and women see themselves. Whether you’re an athlete or not, these women have created a true cultural impact that can only be described as legendary legacies.
Do you collaborate with local women’s teams, leagues, or athletes? How do these partnerships contribute to your mission?
Oh absolutely. I would dare even say that without collaboration, there is no mission. Community and impact are at the heart of what we do and who we are. I saw Teresa Weatherspoon in an interview recently who had a quote that will stick with me forever, “If you have not done something for someone, then you have done nothing.”
What advice would you share with women wanting to make it in the business of women’s sports?
Lead with love, integrity, and authenticity. Lift up those around you including those who lift and inspire you. Know that competition is what’s done at the ground level, collaboration is what’s done at the top.
Learn more about The Sports Bra: