Women’s sports bars are slowly but steadily on the rise across the nation. Following one of the first-ever sports bars dedicated to showing and promoting women’s sports, The Sports Bra, opening in Portland in April 2022, Seattle’s Rough & Tumble debuted in Seattle. 2024 brought a massive crowd to the opening of Minneapolis’ A Bar of Their Own and Watch Me! Opened in Long Beach, California this summer.
Now, as many independent women’s sports bars strive to open, the original is ready to franchise.
“The Sports Bra has proven to be a lot bigger than just the four walls of our bar and restaurant. It’s found its place in a movement—a movement that takes women’s sports to a whole new level,” said Jenny Nguyen, founder and CEO of The Sports Bra, said, Now, we are taking the next big step. It’s time to invite others to join our team to bring The Sports Bra to communities across the country. LFG!”
Following a major investment in The Sports Bra from Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, founding control owner of Angel City FC, and founder of the 776 Foundation, The Sports Bra is expanding.
As of September 18, The Sports Bra is officially opening the opportunity to invest in a franchise. A passion for women’s sports is a must for franchisees, along with an alignment to the mission of supporting, empowering and promoting women and girls in sports.
“From where I sit, there is enormous demand for more places like ours. I have personally heard from hundreds of people from 44 states and a dozen countries who are interested in learning more about opening their own outlet of The Sports Bra,” said Nguyen. “Our team is ready to begin the work of finding the right people to join the team and help take The Sports Bra to cities across the U.S.”
The expansion is, of course, tied to the growth in women’s sports worldwide. At the Paris 2024 Olympics Games, there were an equal number of male and female athletes, a first in the Games’ history. WNBA events earn record viewership and game attendance this year’s NCAA women’s games on ESPN exceeded record viewership.
Media coverage of women’s sports has nearly tripled, according to a 2023 report by Wasserman. According to Deloitte Insights, revenue generated by women’s elite sports will surpass $1 billion for the first time in 2024.
“The stats tell the story,” said Kate Delhagen, founder of Oregon Sports Angels and advisor to The Sports Bra. “More women are on the playing field. More people are watching women play. More people are investing in watching women play. This is a ‘Win-Nguyen’ moment for women’s sports. Now is the time to invest in The Sports Bra and help us do what we do best: support, elevate and inspire women.”
The Sports Bra’s franchise website outlines the business case for opening a franchise, steps for interested investors, and the potential levels of investments required to open a location. The estimated initial investment to open a franchise ranges from $292,500 to $893,500, including the initial $55,000 franchise fee. Discounts for veterans and multiple units may also be available.
“It begins! I couldn’t be more excited for the Sports Bra expansion — nationwide,” said Ohanian. “Everyone watches women’s sports and soon everyone will have a local sports bar to watch from.”
The franchise news comes alongside another exciting sport’s announcemnt out of Portland: The WNBA is bringing a new basketball team to the city. The to-be-named team will debut in 2026, as part of an ongoing expansion with new San Francisco and Toronto franchises. With more teams in the league, it will be more important than ever to have dedicated spaces to watch them.
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