On the other hand, in New York, a city that seems to have everything. exclude A place to watch women's sports – Althea's and Athena Keke's both plan to open women's sports bars in the near future.
Jenny Garcia, 37, has been a New York Liberty fan since the team's inception in 1997 and spent most of her 20s looking for bars where she could watch games, only to have one of her multiple TV screens watch the WNBA. often denied her requests to change games (which coincided with baseball season). She eventually found a few spots that were open but closed during the pandemic. “There's nothing more fun than being around other sports fans,” Garcia says. “I'm so excited. It's so emotional to see how much the women's sport has grown.” But when the Liberty is out of town, season ticket holders have nowhere to watch the games, so they sit on the couch. A proud member of the reclusive, cord-cutting generation, she ends up paying for expensive streaming services to watch away games.
The community recruited Garcia's girlfriend, Felicia Fitzpatrick, 32, as a new but avid WNBA fan. Fitzpatrick is more of a thespian than an athlete, digging the drama, colorful costumes (also known as uniforms), and the electric energy of the game. She also helps that the majority of her players and fans are women and queer women. “I'm not a competitive person. I hate it when someone has to lose,” Fitzpatrick says. “But I love the atmosphere.” She had already traveled from New Jersey to the city center to chill out at Altea with friends and strangers who soon became a community, as her early fan base had already discovered. I can imagine myself commuting to work.
“These bars will uplift and expand women and women's sports,” said 2023 WNBA MVP and New York Liberty forward Brianna Stewart. She said, “When the number of viewers increases, so does the attention. There is no longer an excuse for not being able to watch it. There is plenty of momentum to follow.''
Still, there is a lot of progress to be made in a context where men's sports are still considered just “sport” and women's sports have to be given a special name. Women don't have professional baseball or football leagues, and professional athletes are paid a fraction of what men receive. (Stewart's current contract is worth $205,000, but the 30th NBA rookie draft pick is expected to be worth at least $2 million).
