A woman in Portland, Oregon, is planning to open a sports bar featuring all-female sports in April.
Jenny Nguyen began a Kickstarter to raise the $48,700 she needed to open the bar, called The Sports Bra. She garnered more than 75% of her goal just over a week after beginning it. The campaign has since exceeded her goal, raising $54,673.
“Women’s sports has made huge strides over the decades, from the variety and quality being played to the increased level of competition. This is in no small part due to increased awareness, representation and investment in girls and women,” Nguyen explained. “We are now seeing a dramatic rise in public demand and appetite for more access and content.”
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Nguyen came up with the idea after she watched the 2018 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship at a bar via a small television without any sound. At the time, they had to request that a server switch the channel to the game. As a result, she began pursuing her dream of opening a woman-centric sports bar in 2020.
The aspiring bar owner ultimately turned to Kickstarter after “every bank I went to for a business loan turned me down,” Nguyen said.
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This comes amid a battle for equal pay among female soccer players and the U.S. Soccer Federation that was settled Tuesday. U.S. women’s national team players, including Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, and three other players, received a $24 million settlement. Additional female players can receive up to $50,000.
