The Wide(ning) World of (Women’s) Sports Historically sidelined, interest in women’s sports is surging. Jenny Nguyen, owner of the Sports Bra, looks ready to ride the wave. BY AMY MILSHTEIN YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD of The Sports Bra by now. Located in Northeast Portland, the two-year-old pub with the cute, punny name is the first of its kind: a women-owned sports bar, featuring food and drink from women purveyors and dedicated to showing only women’s sports. Since its meteoric rise on Kickstarter (more on that later), stories about “The Bra,” as owner Jenny Nguyen affectionately calls it, pop up on the most disparate news venues. Local, national and international publications, mainstream outlets, LGBTQ+ sites, vegetarian blogs, travel newsletters and business journals alike have profiled Nguyen and her restaurant. After two years, the flurry has yet to die down. The attention still makes Nguyen, a self-described introvert, uncomfortable. “Running a business is hard, and doing all of this press is hard,” she admits. But Nguyen keeps powering through. Why? “In the beginning we saw ourselves as a novelty, a new thing. Now we are starting to see ourselves as ‘becoming what is possible.’” JASON E. KAPLAN ⁄Spotlight⁄ 20
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