The Sports Bra will open four new locations in the cities of Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Boston and St. Louis.
(The Sports Bra bar)
The Sports Bra, a bar dedicated to women’s sports, will be opening a new location in Indianapolis. The franchise first opened in Portland, Oregon, in 2022, and will also expand to Boston, Las Vegas and St. Louis.
Jenny Nguyen, founder and CEO, said when deciding where to open new locations, she looked for people who had a connection to their community and could independently own the bar. Her focus was creating an authentic space unique to every community. After visiting and researching various cities, she chose Indianapolis as one of the locations because of the recent boom in women’s sports, especially with the Indiana Fever.
“It's so clear when things sell out, merch sells out, tickets sell out in hours, the time is now,” she said. “And when you give the fans what they want, you give them more than enough, that's when you can start to feel out like how much growth there can be. That's how you create more fans.”
Nguyen thinks it’s important to provide a space like the Sports Bra where people can bond over women’s sports. A recent report shows media coverage of women’s sports has increased 275 percent in the last five years. Results also demonstrate that women’s sports revenue has increased 300 percent in the last three years, and in 2025, women’s sports are expected to generate over $2.35 billion for the first time.
“In the climate that we have right now, we're really finding that spaces like this are really important to create for everybody,” Nguyen said. “And so giving people a place where they can feel safe and celebrated, represented and seen is super important to us, on top of women's sports fandom.”
Nguyen is unsure when the Indy location will open but wants it to be by the end of 2026. She still needs to find a location, review financing and build. She is in the process of deciding where else to expand the franchise.
