How Women's Sports Are Reshaping Local Sports Bars

With millions tuning in for women's basketball, it's clear that the excitement is real, and so is the demand for venues that celebrate it.

As the popularity of women's sports has increased dramatically, there is a stronger need for women's sports bars.

You don't have to look far for a great example of the rising popularity of women's sports. The 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship had 19 million viewers as Iowa took on South Carolina. The men's championship game had fewer than 15 million viewers.

You can't ignore the Caitlin Clark effect. I remember the first time I heard of Clark. In 2019, Caitlin Clark was a high school senior playing basketball for Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. The student section for their opponents, Southeast Polk, was heckling Clark with chants saying she was overrated.

Clark responded to those chants by scoring 42 points. Watching the young male hecklers get quiet is hilarious.

Get our free mobile app

Sticking with Basketball, other players like A'ja Wilson, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, and Angel Reese have helped boost women's basketball on both the college and professional levels.

Women's sports in general have gotten a boost from Coach Jackie on TikTok, with over 645 thousand followers.

Many local sports bars aren't giving women's sports enough TV time, which has led to frustration among the fans. That's where Bar IX comes in. Here's how Bar IX describes their women's sports bar.

Bar ix will be a space for anyone who wants to gather to support and celebrate women’s sports – new fans or old, casual or committed. This space will be family-friendly, so people of all ages can watch women’s sports alongside generations who paved the way and won Title IX victories that brought us Bar IX today.

Bar IX is currently collaborating with local bars for special women's sporting events. They are in the process of getting their location finished and hope to open soon.

Caitlin Clark's Rookie Season in the WNBA Part 1

West Des Moines native and Iowa Hawkeye alum Caitlin Clark has taken the world by storm over the past year. She was selected 1st overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Her rookie season might not have started out too strong, but at the halfway point in the season things started to look up for Clark and the Indiana Fever

Gallery Credit: Kerri Mac

Here Are The 10 Most Influential Women In Michigan's History

Naturally, the women who made this list may not line up with everybody’s political or social beliefs, but regardless, the fact that they were able to make a nice career for themselves, and encourage other women to be strong, speak out, and become leaders in their own right makes them worthy of being on this list.