Latest news with #TheSportsBra
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Coming out in Portland: Support from unexpected places
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Jenny Nguyen remembers ' everything like it was yesterday' the day she came out to her parents when she was 17. 'I remember laying down in bed just sweating and thinking about how I had what felt like I had lived only half my life up until that moment by hiding this other half of myself and how I felt like I needed to come out,' Nguyen, the founder and CEO of told KOIN 6 News. After what felt like the longest 5 minutes of her life, she got up from the bed and went to her parents. 'I just start crying. And my dad said, 'It's OK. What's going on?' And I told them that I was gay. And my mom's reaction was pretty swift, which was something to the effect of, 'How do you know? Are you sure? Maybe it's a phase', all of the lines that we sometimes hear,' she said. 'Dad was emotional. And he goes, 'You know what? We love you. We'll help you figure it out.'' 'And,' she said, 'I got up and I went back downstairs and I just crawled back into bed.' Jenny felt she was finally able to move forward. But her parents had to face their own journeys on how to show support and acceptance for their only child. That adjustment did not happen overnight. 'It was a little tough,' Jenny's dad, Tuong Nguyen, said. 'I kept a straight face at home, but I remember I worked B Shift, which is from 3 to 11pm. I actually drove to work and I cried at work. I had no one to share with. And I actually caught my wife crying at home, by herself, in a room. So it was a tough adjustment.' Tuong, who worked at the City of Portland Wastewater Treatment Plant for 33 years until he retired, continued to support Jenny's love for sports. Sometimes they'd run into Chris Mack — who worked with Tuong — at sporting events. 'When there was an American Basketball League here, Tuong and Jenny were at some of the games and I had season tickets, so I was there all the time,' Mack said. Mack eventually became Tuong's boss and the two worked together daily. 'She became kind of my confidant,' Tuong said of Chris Mack. 'We spoke a lot about Jenny and stuff. It definitely felt a lot like an outlet for me to let it out. All my other coworkers, I don't share that much with them. But her, yeah, I felt comfortable.' Seeing Chris be a strong, no-nonsense professional he greatly respected helped Tuong see how Jenny's life 'out' would not stop her from succeeding. 'I'm so grateful,' Jenny said. 'I'm so grateful for that because it really helped my dad to be more supportive and open and kind.' The unique bond between co-workers grew through the years and The Sports Bra is something else that brought Jenny, Tuong and Chris closer together. 'I brag about it all the time,' Chris said. 'My family lives in Michigan, so when they see anything about The Sports Bra, they call me and tell me or they send me the article. So it's kind of like a family thing now, too.' The is to be a place that 'supports, empowers and promotes girls and women in sports and in the community.' The 4th annual Pride Block Party will take place in July at The Sports Bra. Chris loves 'coming here because when you look at the TV screens, there's women playing ice hockey and it's like, wow, that is so cool. And the roller derby over here.' Each coming out experience is different. But Tuong and Chris want others to know they don't have to go through it alone. 'What I would say to somebody who's questioning or find somebody to talk to, it doesn't matter who it is, but just get some support and be able to talk stuff out a little bit,' Chris said. 'It's a personal story,' Tuong said, 'but you know that there are people just like you in the same boat as you and can help you cope.' As for Jenny Nguyen, she's found her way and is comfortable where she is. 'I used to feel like I never belonged in any spaces. I was always the odd one out,' Jenny said. 'And now it's like I'm the odd one out and I belong.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time Out
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time Out
This pioneering bar only shows women's sports—and it's expanding to Boston
The Sports Bra—yes, really—is opening a location in Boston, and if you've ever begged a bartender to put the WNBA on instead of reruns of SportsCenter, this one's for you. Founded in Portland, Oregon, in 2022, The Sports Bra made national headlines as the first-ever sports bar exclusively showing women's sports. Now, it's bringing its game-changing model to four new cities: Boston, Las Vegas, Indianapolis and St. Louis. Each outpost will be locally owned and operated but follow the same winning playbook: wall-to-wall women's sports, scratch-made bar food (with plenty of vegan options) and a strong community vibe. Boston's location doesn't have an address or opening date just yet, but the local ownership team comprises eight Boston-area residents—athletes, educators and longtime women's sports advocates—who've spent the past year organizing watch parties around the city. In other words: They know what they're doing, and they know the fan base is here. And Boston's certainly ready: The city is set to welcome the NWSL's Boston Legacy FC in 2026, already plays host to the PWHL's Boston Fleet and is home to passionate fan communities for everything from college hoops to roller derby. Add in places like Drawdown Brewing in Jamaica Plain, which prioritizes women's games on its screens, and it's clear the city's sports culture is overdue for a bar like this. Founder Jenny Nguyen calls the new franchise group 'The Starting Five,' with Boston joining Las Vegas, Indianapolis, St. Louis and the OG Portland location. '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,' she said in a release. And yes, the Boston menu is expected to feature favorites from the Portland original, like Aunt Tina's Vietna-Glaze Wings, a tempeh Reuben and the bourbon-and-peach cocktail known as the Title IX. In a sports landscape that still sidelines women's leagues, The Sports Bra is putting them front and center—and Boston's about to get a front-row seat.
Axios
06-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Women's sports bars are booming across the U.S.
Women's sports bars are springing up in multiple cities, growing from one to 11 in just three years. Why it matters: With viewership and attendance for women's sports soaring, fans are building new hubs that are about more than simply watching games. Driving the news: Six women's sports bars have opened this year, with as many as 17 on the way in various stages of funding and construction. At least eight have announced plans to open by the end of this year. Others have indicated 2026 or have not specified a timeline. Catch up quick: It all started with The Sports Bra, a Portland bar dedicated to supporting and showing women's sports founded by Jenny Nguyen in April 2022. Rough and Tumble Pub in Seattle followed later that year. By the end of 2024, three more had opened: A Bar of Their Own in Minneapolis; Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach, California; and The 99ers Sports Bar in Denver. What they're saying: The bars "galvanize the community," says Kaitlyn Laabs, who is making a documentary about women's sports bars called "Untapped." "They've become centers of social, economic and political power in the communities where they exist." The vibe: Bar owners mix the fun and camaraderie of team sports with an atmosphere that's welcoming to everyone, including nontraditional sports fans and the LGBTQ+ community. "Let's bring people in that have always been a little timid about going to a sports bar," says Monica Brady, co-owner of upcoming Kansas City women's sports bar The Dub. Friction point: Some bar owners, such as Watch Me! owner Jax Diener, have gotten sexist and anti-LGBTQ+ hate. Between the lines: Many of these bar owners also struggle to secure small-business loans, increasing the barrier to opening, Laabs says. Brady tells Axios she and her business partner were rejected for a loan four times. She said lenders cited high collateral requirements, risk, and inexperience in the industry as factors in the rejections. Many women's sports bar owners have turned to crowdfunding. Stunning stat: In 2023, women received less than a third of the Small Business Administration's loans despite owning about 43% of America's small businesses, according to the SBA.
Axios
06-06-2025
- Business
- Axios
Seattle pub helps lead women's sports bar revolution
Women's sports bars are on the rise — and Seattle is helping lead the charge. Why it matters: With viewership and attendance for women's sports soaring, fans are building new hubs that are about more than simply watching games. Driving the news: Three years ago, there was only one women's sports bar nationwide — now, there are a dozen, says Kaitlyn Laabs, who is making a documentary about them. Six women's sports bars have opened this year, per Laabs' count, with as many as 21 on the way in various stages of funding and construction. Catch up quick: It all started with The Sports Bra, a Portland bar dedicated to supporting and showing women's sports founded by Jenny Nguyen in April 2022. Rough & Tumble Pub in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood followed later that year. By the end of 2024, three more women's sports bars had opened across the country. What they're saying: The bars "galvanize the community," says Laabs, whose upcoming documentary about women's sports bars is called "Untapped." The vibe: Bar owners mix the fun and camaraderie of team sports with an atmosphere that's welcoming to everyone, including nontraditional sports fans, according to Monica Brady, co-owner of Kansas City's upcoming women's sports bar The Dub.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Sports Bra, the first US bar focused on women's sports, expanding to four more cities
The Sports Bra, the first sports bar in the US dedicated to women's sports, is set to expand with new locations in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and St. Louis. The original Sports Bra, located in Portland, Oregon, was founded in April 2022 by entrepreneur Jenny Nguyen. She sought to establish a venue that celebrates women and girls in sports. Since its launch, other women-centered sports bars have emerged across the country. They include The 99ers Sports Bar in Denver, Rough & Tumble in Seattle, and Title 9 Sports Grill in Phoenix. 'The first four franchises of The Sports Bra will join our OG Portland location to become the 'Starting Five,'' Nguyen said. '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. There is no better moment than this to open these places.' In 2024, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian's 776 Foundation invested in The Sports Bra with the intention of expanding through franchising. Potential investors were invited to apply for franchises in October. All of the new locations will be locally owned and operated and will highlight local and women-owned beverage and food products. According to The Sports Bra's website, the menu includes items such as a $17 'Bra-L-T' sandwich and a $14 green goddess salad. The bar's $14 signature cocktails include Title IX (bourbon, peach liqueur and mint), Cherry Picker (gin, cherry juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and egg white), and Pickle Ball (dry gin, dry vermouth and pickle juice). Sportico reported that the four new franchises were being asked to pay a $55,000 fee, and up to $834,000 in start-up costs including training expenses, leases and insurance. Each franchise would be asked to hand over 8 per cent of their gross revenue each year, once they were up and running. Sportico reported that the Portland Sports Bra grossed an average of $1.086 million revenue the past two years. About 80 per cent of that came from food and alcohol, with the balance from events, merchandise and non-alcoholic drinks.
