Next up in 5
Example video title will go here for this video
Next up in 5
Example video title will go here for this video
PORTLAND, Ore. — The Sports Bra has announced plans to franchise and expand into other cities.
The now-iconic Portland destination made history in 2022 as the first women’s sports bar that only televises women’s sports. Jenny Nguyen, founder and CEO of The Sports Bra, said they plan to bring the bar’s concept across the country to continue their mission in supporting, empowering and promoting women in sports.
“When I first opened The Sports Bra two years ago this month, I had no idea the impact it would have on so many so quickly,” Nguyen said. “Now I can see we’re just getting started.”
Investment from Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and the husband of tennis legend Serena Williams, will help fund the expansion in partnership with Ohanian’s 776 Foundation. All returns will be invested back into girls’ and women’s sports, the news release said.
A post shared by The Sports Bra (@thesportsbrapdx)
“At Seven Seven Six, we’re enthusiastic about the incredible advancement in women’s sports,” Ohanian said. “Our foundation is proud to back The Sports Bra, which is a welcoming place for everyone to celebrate these athletes’ feats.”
The announcement of the bar’s expansion comes at a defining moment for women’s sports, The Sports Bra said. Viewership of the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament reached 18.7 million, eclipsing the men’s tournament. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team broke viewership records for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the summer of 2023.
“You look at all these sports now, there is undeniable excellence coming from women,” Ohanian said in a video on Instagram. “I’m just looking for all the ways we can reinforce and build and do it in a way that makes sense with the community. Every bar I ever walked into was only showing exclusively men’s sports. Random people are just gonna stumble in. Y’all in two years have already done that here, and you think of how that starts to spread.”
The Sports Bra opened in April 2022 and quickly saw widespread national news coverage, making it a destination spot for local patrons and visitors. It continues to fill the space for watch parties and events, drawing crowds to a point where the bar has to typically put a sign on the door saying it’s full.
“This is an exhilarating time for women’s sports, and The Sports Bra has proven the strong need for more places to celebrate them,” Nguyen said. “I envision a future full of Sports Bras everywhere doing what we do best: supporting women.”
Where The Sports Bra plans to expand to has yet to be announced.
Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings.