The Economics of Everyday Things 12. Women’s Sports Bars
Feb 9, 2026
Cheryl Cooky, a professor who studies gender and sports, provides expert commentary on cultural and media barriers. Jenny Wynn, a chef-turned-entrepreneur who founded The Sports Bra, tells the origin story and business journey. They discuss scarcity of women's game broadcasts, launching a women-focused sports bar during a pandemic, costs of sourcing streams, and early financial success and community impact.
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Moment That Sparked A Business
- Jenny Wynn watched the 2018 NCAA Women's Championship in a sports bar where nobody else had the game on.
- That experience inspired her to create a venue dedicated to always showing women's sports.
Use Crowdfunding To Prove Demand
- Test demand with community funding when banks say no.
- Wynn used Kickstarter to validate interest and raise crucial startup capital after loan rejections.
Launch Amid Media Frenzy
- The Sports Bra opened April 1, 2022, on the day of the NCAA Women's Final Four and launched to huge public interest.
- Wynn financed it with savings, loans from friends and a Kickstarter that raised over $105,000.