Women’s Sports Bars Are Changing the Game

As Serena Williams volleyed back and forth with Ajla Tomljanovic during her final tennis match in September 2022, 4.6 million viewers (an ESPN record for the sport) tuned in. And a bunch of them were watching from the Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon, which grew so silent you could hear a potato chip drop to the floor—despite a crowd that spilled into the street, where fans cupped their hands over the glass windows to watch the action inside.

“Every time Serena would win a point and let out her victory scream, the entire place was on their feet,” owner and chef Jenny Nguyen, who had opened the bar just six months earlier as a way to showcase women’s sports and empower female athletes, tells SELF. “When I felt like the end was coming, I ran to my office and grabbed two boxes of tissues. I wasn’t sure if anyone was going to need them, but I definitely was. Sure enough, when the match ended, we just passed those boxes around. There was this moment of oneness and community that felt so special to me.” Read More