Women’s sports pubs are having a moment

Seattle women’s sports bar Rough & Tumble is opening its second location in the city just months after another bar dedicated to women’s sports — The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon — said it would expand into Boston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and St. Louis. The two entities are the first bars in the United States dedicated to women’s sports. The global women’s sports industry is estimated at about $2.35 billion, and global media coverage dedicated to women athletes is projected to exceed 20% this year, four times what it was three years ago when both bars opened. “Rough & Tumble is a flywheel in the women’s sports ecosystem,” founder Jen Barnes said. “We don’t just air the games. We amplify them, generate hype and create spaces where inclusive fandom thrives.”