A Minnesota sports bar is tapping into an untapped market by featuring women's sports in its stores.
Women's college basketball, professional volleyball federation games, and other popular women's sporting events littered the walls of the facility. The bar, aptly called “A Bar of Their Own” after the 1992 Tom Hanks and Geena Davis film about a women's baseball league, opened for the first time on Friday, March 1, to a huge crowd. It received overwhelming support from the audience.
“I expected it to be crowded, no question. This exceeds any expectations I had,” owner Jillian Hickok said via KMSP Fox 9. Patrons who knew what to expect when they came to the bar said they were surprised by the bar's dedication. Even women's sports. One customer said: “I was so overwhelmed when I walked in. I've always wanted a space like this and I'm so excited to finally see it come to life.” It was said.
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Where did the idea for a women's sports bar come from?
Jillian Hickok has been described by those close to her as a sports nut, beer geek and tireless advocate for women's rights. She is also a season ticket holder for both the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx and her softball team, the Minnesota Gophers.
Hickok claims she got the idea for a women-only sports bar after going to one a year ago. Even though he was breaking new ground with the bar idea, Mr. Hickok seemed very confident that the bar would be a success.
“I think people were ready for this and have been waiting for this for a really long time, so it means a lot for it to be here and for people to be inside,” Hiscock said. She described the demand for the bar on the weekends it opened as “absolutely insane, but in the best way possible.”
Women's sports dominate the NIL
In the NIL era, women's basketball stars appear to have overtaken men's college basketball players as the sport's biggest stars.
Aside from LeBron James' children (Bronny James and Bryce James of the University of Southern California), three of the top four NIL valuations in college basketball belong to women's basketball stars: Iowa's Caitlin; – Clark ($3.1 million), LSU's Angel Reese ($1.7 million), and LSU's Angel Reese ($1.7 million) Fraujai Johnson ($1.1 million).
That alone is evidence of interest in women's college basketball, and it is no exaggeration to say that there is currently more interest in women's college basketball than in men's college basketball.
Basketball is a sport driven by superstars. Some NBA fans follow their favorite player more than their favorite team. Wherever players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving go, fans follow them. Matchups and debates in sports are often based on player vs. player rather than team vs. team, and that sentiment is mirrored in the world of women's college basketball as well. Last year's brawl between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese was talked about for weeks after LSU's championship game ended.
How has the evaluation of women's sports changed?
On January 4, 2024, ESPN signed an eight-year deal worth more than $900 million for the rights to broadcast several women's college sports, including the women's March Madness tournament.
Sports included in the deal include women's basketball, volleyball and gymnastics. The deal also included the second division of Division I soccer. It is estimated that 57% of the agreement involves the women's March Madness tournament, even though football, which remains by far America's largest college sport, is included in the agreement.
“As an ESPN exclusive, the women's tournament has steadily grown in popularity, setting viewership records last year. The title game between Angel Reese's LSU and Caitlin Clark's Iowa It attracted nearly 10 million viewers.” . ”
Russo is correct in his assessment, but he downplays how big a leap the tournament took last year. In 2021, the most-watched Final Four game in the women's tournament drew 4.077 million viewers, compared to an average of 9.92 million TV viewers, compared to just 2.668 million for the 2009 tournament. It didn't come close to that. Iowa and LSU were tied last year. Such a large increase in such a short period of time is indicative of a larger shift in viewing trends as a whole.
With organizations like the Professional Volleyball Federation beginning to record attendance numbers, it's no wonder fans are excited that the women's sport is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Hiscock is capitalizing on that growing interest, and while she's not the first to open a female-focused sports bar (which will become The Sports Bra, which opened in Portland, Oregon in 2022), The seed bar is still in operation. Supply is in short supply, with fewer than five stores open nationwide. He has at least one other bar in development. Watch Me! Sports Bar, but the official opening date and location have not yet been announced. However, considering this bar's founders are three women from Long Beach, it's probably safe to assume it'll open somewhere in Southern California.
Gillian Hickok is capitalizing on the growing interest in women's sports. A Bar of Their Own is part of a new trend in creating spaces for women to enjoy women's sports.
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