Miranda Spencer (left) and Annie Weaver, the duo behind The 99ers, a new Colfax Avenue bar focused solely on women's sports. April 1, 2024.
Kevin J. Beatty/Denverite
Annie Weaver recalls many times sitting in a sports bar watching women's sports on her cell phone while men's sports were being played on the TV above.
She recently asked to change the television at a bar so she could watch the Iowa State women's team play in the March Madness tournament, but was told no.
That's why she's preparing to open 99ers, Denver's first sports bar dedicated to women's sports. Along with her business partner, Miranda Spencer, the two hope to open at 909 Colfax Ave. by June, in time for the Summer Olympics.
“When we first met, what we immediately bonded over was the recognition of women's sports and women in sports and the success women have in that world,” Weaver said. said. “It wasn't aired, it wasn't streamed, it wasn't really getting any attention. There was certainly a very big gap there. It's getting smaller, but we're not there yet.”
The 99ers is part of a growing movement of women's sports bars across the country, starting with Sports Bra, which opened in Portland in 2022. Similar bars are opening or in the works in California, New York City, Seattle and elsewhere.America
And the bar comes as interest in women's sports is rapidly increasing, after decades of modest investment compared to men's sports. Just ask Iowa Hawkeye's Caitlin Clark. Tickets for the Women's Final Four March Her Madness game are currently selling for more than men's Final Four tickets on the secondary market.
Women's sports bars are also showing signs of financial success. In 2023, it was reported that sports bras brought her $1 million in revenue in eight months.
Now, Weaver and Spencer want Denver to get in on the action.
This bar is open to everyone, but unlike most other sports bars, it focuses on broadcasting women's sports.
The 99ers are named after the 1999 U.S. women's soccer team. The team won the World Cup and was considered an iconic moment for women's sports in the United States, leading to the first professional women's soccer league in the United States.
Mr. Weaver (whose favorite athlete is Mia Hamm) was a 6-year-old soccer player at the time (Mr. Spencer's favorite athlete is Sue Bird).
“I remember watching it because it was so different. I grew up watching men's basketball because that's what my dad watched and that's what it was all about…in 1999. “Watching the Women's World Cup and finally seeing women succeed in the sport and people celebrating was huge,” Weaver said. “It gave us someone to look up to who wasn’t a man.”
The owners hope the bar will become a place where others can watch their favorite sports stars.
Eventually, they find a bar that sponsors a flag football team that Spencer founded, and where she and Weaver met (Spencer played on the boys' soccer and ice hockey teams in Idaho as a child). Was). They hope to see a women's professional sports league established in Denver and be able to sponsor it as well.
The owners envision the bar as a more intimate place to watch sports than many male-filled sports bars. Weaver and Spencer also see themselves as creating a space for Denver's LGBTQ community.
“There's an intimidating element to going to a bar, so as a woman, I watch sports at home,” Spencer said. “Being two women, two queer women in this space speaks volumes in terms of inclusivity, empowering each other and showing others that we can do it too. is.”
For now, the pair is in construction mode.
This Colfax location was previously a barbershop, so Weaver and Spencer have a lot of work to do before the space can function as a bar. The owners, Mr. Spencer and Mr. Weaver, both of whom work in electricity and insurance, both still have day jobs, but Mr. Weaver plans to work full time once the bar opens. Neither had ever run a business before.
When it comes to construction, it's a community effort. They hire electrical and plumbing experts, but they tackle tasks like drywall themselves with help from friends. Spencer's wife is painting one of the walls.
“After my day job, I come here and work at the bar all night, and then I spend most of the weekend,” Weaver said. “This is bigger than us. We're lucky to be able to make it happen in Denver.”
Both are scheduled to open in June and have been gaining attention on social media in the meantime. When asked what they want the bar to look like on a Friday night at 10 this summer, Weaver and Spencer had the same answer. “It's full.”
