The Sports Bra: A New Space For Women In Portland Sports

I'll be honest: when I first heard that The Sports Bra was coming to Portland, Maine, I thought, "Great. Women's sports, good food, cold drinks. Sign me up."

I wasn't expecting to get as emotional as I have about it.

Then I watched a recent Instagram video from founder Jenny Nguyen.

You can watch below.

The Sports Bra is Coming to Maine and It's Making Me Emotional

Through tears, she talked about taking a chance on an idea that many people doubted.

She said that if she put all her eggs in one basket and even one girl walked into The Sports Bra and felt like she belonged in sports, it would be worth it.

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And just like that.. a sports bar became something bigger.

As a lifelong sports fan married to a woman, I like so many of us have spent plenty of time in sports bars that didn’t feel built for people like us. And nobody tells you that you don't belong. It's subtle. It's that feeling of being an afterthought...because you aren’t naturally seeing woman’s sports on the main screens.

The feeling that women's sports are a side dish instead of the main course.

Now, it's the main course.

That's why Nguyen's words landed so hard for me.

The Sports Bra isn't successful because it serves food and puts games on big screens. Lots of places do that.

Its success comes from this radical idea that women athletes, women fans, girls, and LGBTQ+ sports lovers deserve a space where they're not the exception, they're the entire point.

Maybe that's why the arrival of this bar and honestly, movement, feels especially meaningful during Pride Month.

Maybe that's why seeing The Sports Bra scheduled to be part of Portland Pride on June 20th feels less like a marketing appearance and more like a community showing up for another community.