College sports can play a pivotal role in the success of women's sports bars

Women's sports have seen astronomical growth over the last few years. With stars like soccer's Trinity Rodman to basketball's Caitlin Clark to track and field's Sha'Carri Richardson, female athletes are becoming household names.

As the world of women's athletics has grown, so has the audience. Sports bars dedicated to showing only women's sports have blossomed across the country, sparked by the opening of The Sports Bra in Portland, OR.

Now, The 1972 in Austin, Rough & Tumble Pub in Seattle, and more have opened their doors to anyone and everyone who loves to support female athletes and their teams.

Some of the biggest attractors for bar-goers? The Women's NCAA Volleyball Tournament, the women's March Madness, the Women's World Series, and more. To put it simply, women's college sports could solidify the existence of these bars.

Yes, the Women's World Cup and the Olympics are big moments for female athletics. That much is obvious. However, those only happen four times a year and last for just a couple of weeks.

Collegiate sports happen every year, for almost the entire year, and college teams already have die-hard fan bases. Not to mention, those very college athletes that people fall in love with go on to compete in professional leagues like the WNBA and NWSL, as well as playing in the World Cup and at the Olympics.

NBC News reported that the all-women's sports bars are expected to reach a national count of 25 by the end of the year, a 300 percent growth from 2024. Just four years ago, in 2021, there were exactly zero women's sports bars in the United States.

The growth of women's sports shows that investing in opportunities for everyone is worth it. People have received a return on their investments and then some, such as Alexis Ohanian, who founded Reddit and is married to tennis legend Serena Williams.

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Ohanian not only propped up the Sports Bra in Portland in the form of a venture capital relationship, but he has also invested in the Chelsea Women's football club, Angel City FC (an NWSL team), and the Toronto Tempo (a WNBA expansion team).

Women's sports are here and they are here to stay. Women's college sports could ensure that spaces like The 1972, Rough & Tumble, and the Sports Bra stick around as well.