Sports bars that center women’s sports are opening across the country, and one of the best-known is coming to Boston. The Sports Bra, which first opened in Portland, Oregon, back in 2022, is expanding with new franchises in Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, and St. Louis.
Jenny Nguyen, a chef in Portland, started the concept after struggling to find spaces to watch women’s sports with her friends and partner. She found that sports bars would rarely play women’s sports games at all, and if they did, the games would often be turned off when a men’s game was playing. Back in 2022, she told Eater that the only way people would be able to watch a women’s game is if they opened their own bar. So, she did just that, opening an all-ages restaurant and bar, featuring women-owned breweries and distilleries, and screens highlighting some of the world’s best female athletes. The menu at the Portland location leans heavily on what they call “scratch made” bar classics – with lots of vegan and vegetarian options – like chicken or cauliflower wings, the BRA-LT, which you can order with bacon or tempeh, and cocktails like the Title IX, made with bourbon, peach liqueur, and mint.
“The first four franchises of The Sports Bra will join our OG Portland location to become the ‘Starting Five,’” Nguyen said in a statement. “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.”
Boston is a natural fit for these businesses: The city already has Drawdown Brewing, a Jamaica Plain brewery that prioritizes women’s sports, plus college sports, soccer, and LGBTQ+ programming (check Instagram for their weekly viewing schedule). Boston will soon host National Women’s Soccer League’s Boston Legacy FC (set to begin play in the 2026 season), professional ice hockey team the Boston Fleet has been competing in the PWHL since 2023, and the Connecticut Sun WNBA team has been hosted at TD Garden.
The ownership group for the Boston location is composed of eight Boston-area residents who are connected through their love of women’s sports. “We are a dynamic team of athletes, educators, leaders, planners, and fans — united by our love of women’s sports and commitment to building an inclusive community,” the group said in a statement to Eater. “We have spent years cultivating connections and building networks in the Boston women’s sports scene, and most recently have been hosting watch parties at local bars and restaurants.” The group that will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Sports Bra Boston say they collectively have decades of experience in the hospitality and restaurant industries, and have hosted women’s sports popups and watch parties in bars and venues in the Boston area for the past year.
Betting on women’s sports bars has proven to be a good move so far. Ngyunen shared with CNBC back in 2023 that the bar’s Portland location pulled in nearly $1 million in revenue in its first eight months of business.
Keep an eye on the group’s Instagram page for upcoming information on the bar’s launch in Boston.
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