The Sports Bra: What Happened When She Built a Women’s Sports Bar

Jenny Nguyen didn’t set out to start a movement. She just wanted to watch women’s sports on TV. When no one else created that space, she did—and called it The Sports Bra.

The tagline said it all: We Support Women.

In this episode, Jenny shares the real story behind the country’s first bar dedicated to women’s sports. It started as an idea and a pun. It became a national symbol of visibility, equity, and joy.

You’ll hear:

• The quiet moment when she sat alone in the bar and cried, realizing what she’d built
• How she came up with the name
• What it’s like to build a business where the mission matters as much as the margin
• Why representation on the screen—and behind the bar—still matters

This isn’t just a story about sports. It’s about building something that didn’t exist—and discovering how many people were waiting for it.

📺 Watch more: https://www.youtube.com/@TheSoccerPodcastUSA

🎧 Listen & follow on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts

📣 Follow us on Instagram @thesoccerpodcastusa | TikTok: @soccerpodusa

💬 Share the episode, leave a review, and help keep these stories alive.

#TheSportsBra #WeSupportWomen #WomensSports #JennyNguyen #TitleIX #SupportWomen #TheBarIsReady

⏱️ Time‑Coded Highlights:

00:00 – Surprise! Lori’s the guest, Jenny Nguyen’s the co-host—kind of 😅

01:14 – Jenny: “We’ll forget this episode… but Instagram will remember”

01:43 – Meet Jenny Nguyen, founder of The Sports Bra – the first bar for women’s sports

03:59 – The Starting Five: Portland, Vegas, Indy, St. Louis & Boston 🏙️

05:47 – Jenny on growing up in Portland’s women’s sports scene

07:45 – “We were ISO fans”: why The Sports Bra became a community hub

10:18 – Lori invites Jenny to a CBS Thorns game—maybe

11:10 – “Portland is women’s sports”—Christina explains why

13:09 – Can you really play only women’s sports at a bar? Jenny says yes

15:21 – Jenny: “I underestimated everything about The Sports Bra”

18:26 – Franchising without losing soul: Jenny's plan for community-first growth

25:12 – Lori: “You walk in and feel at home—no matter the city”

26:13 – How a pun became a movement: the naming of The Sports Bra

29:42 – The quiet moment Jenny cried under the trophy wall 🥹

32:40 – The raucous moment: FaceTiming The Bra after the Thorns won it all

35:31 – Dream soccer position? Jenny’s a 5’3” goalkeeper 🧤

37:03 – Jenny: “Women’s soccer is just getting started. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

39:27 – “We’re building a 10-layer cake”: the rise of women’s sports fandom 🎂

40:21 – Bonus: The Sports Bra is headed to London! 🇬🇧

---

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.