Current:Home > reviewsFastexy:This women's sports bar is a game changer in sports entertainment -Infinite Edge Learning
Fastexy:This women's sports bar is a game changer in sports entertainment
Charles Langston View
Date:2025-04-08 02:32:52
Run like a girl. Throw like a girl. Kick like a girl. Keep doing anything like a girl because The FastexySports Bra in Portland, Oregon, is there to support you.
In 2018, Jenny Nguyen and her friends were searching for a sports bar that was screening the NCAA Women’s Championship game. Finding a spot should have been a no-brainer, but media coverage of women’s sports is often patchy. As of last year, women's sports had only a 15 percent share of sports coverage across the media, according to sports marketing company, Wasserman.
Despite their best efforts, Nguyen and her group couldn’t find the game on anywhere. Eventually, they persuaded a bar to show it on a TV in a corner with the volume turned down to zero. It was a disappointing way to watch an epic, nail-biting championship game.
That experience got Nguyen thinking. She couldn’t remember the last time she'd felt truly welcomed in any sports bar or restaurant.
“I am a woman. I'm Asian. I'm a queer person. There are a lot of intersections of my existence. So my lived experiences gives me a lot of insight into what places have lacked," said Nguyen. "What was I missing, or how did I feel like I didn't belong when I went to this bar?”
For all the little girls who might potentially feel unwelcome or underrepresented in the future, Nguyen made it her personal mission to create a sporting venue where they could feel at home.
Taking her vast knowledge of food as a chef for over 15 years and combining it with her sports knowledge as a former athlete, Jenny came up with a game plan. Using her life savings, help from friends and family, and a Kickstarter campaign, The Sports Bra was born.
“If I didn't do it, then I would have to live with the idea that I had let that 7-year-old version of myself down because I was too afraid. And that basically made up the decision for me. And from that moment forward, I never looked back.”
Business boomed right away. Word spread that this dietary-inclusive restaurant and bar for marginalized groups was the place to be.
With ingredients sourced from women-owned businesses, the menu includes many sports bar favorites, as well as some of Jenny’s family recipes, such as Mom’s Baby Back Ribs and Aunt Tina’s Vietna-Wings. Staying true to The Sports Bra’s mission, there is something satisfying and yummy for everyone, including customers with dietary restrictions.
Like any business starting out, it wasn’t all slam dunks and home runs. Jenny had to lobby networks for coverage of women's games. She had sleepless nights making ends meet, and had to double her staff almost immediately due to the bar's popularity. Yet, the countless stories of people expressing how much this unique venue inspired them kept her going.
“I just thought about the 7-year-old and how even if one little kid comes into The [Sports] Bra and sees a future for themself in sports because of being there, it's worth it,” explained Jenny. “It's the best job ever.”
The Sports Bra has been groundbreaking. And, as a champion of women's sports, Nguyen hopes there'll be a ripple effect that will help make the sports entertainment industry more inclusive by inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.
Watch this woman use her life savings to open a bar just for women's sports.
Humankind is your go-to spot for good news!Click here to submit your uplifting, cute, or inspiring video moments for us to feature. Also, click here to subscribe to our newsletter bringing our top stories of the week straight to your inbox.
veryGood! (66584)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Kim Kardashian Reveals the Surprising Feature in a Man That's One of Her Biggest Turn Ons
- More ‘Green Bonds’ Needed to Fund the Clean Energy Revolution
- In some states, hundreds of thousands dropped from Medicaid
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- The missing submersible was run by a video game controller. Is that normal?
- Social media can put young people in danger, U.S. surgeon general warns
- Some Utilities Want a Surcharge to Let the Sunshine In
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- Medical students aren't showing up to class. What does that mean for future docs?
Ranking
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Mark Zuckerberg agrees to fight Elon Musk in cage match: Send me location
- Virtually ouch-free: Promising early data on a measles vaccine delivered via sticker
- Medical students aren't showing up to class. What does that mean for future docs?
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Building Emissions Cuts Crucial to Meeting NYC Climate Goals
- SolarCity Aims to Power Nation’s Smaller Businesses
- Amazon sued for allegedly signing customers up for Prime without consent
Recommendation
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
Inside Harry Styles' Special Bond With Stevie Nicks
An abortion doula pivots after North Carolina's new restrictions
Climate Tipping Points Are Closer Than We Think, Scientists Warn
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Debris from OceanGate sub found 1,600 feet from Titanic after catastrophic implosion, U.S. Coast Guard says
SolarCity Aims to Power Nation’s Smaller Businesses
Along the North Carolina Coast, Small Towns Wrestle With Resilience