SEATTLE — For the first time in Washington state, a new pub is expected to open by the end of the year dedicated to showcasing women's sports.
"We don't have a place like Rough & Tumble that prioritizes women's sports anywhere in Seattle, anywhere in the state and so we're here to change that," said Jen Barnes, the owner and CEO of Rough & Tumble Pub.
Barnes is the owner of this soon-to-be one-of-a-kind pub, which is expected to open later this year, along Ballard Avenue in Seattle.
"I hope that everybody who comes in gets to experience women's sports and have that feeling of excitement that you get, that bonding experience that you get when you're watching sports together, you just can't have that in your living room," said Barnes.
As an avid sports fan, especially for women's sports, she's spent a lot of nights in her living room watching games, including last November when she was hoping to go out to watch her beloved OL Reign play in the semi-finals.
"I started calling around and literally no one was playing the game and it was just astonishing," said Barnes.
Barnes said 50 percent of sports fans are women and 84 percent regardless of gender are interested in watching women's sports. So, the need is there, for a pub like Rough and Tumble, which hopes to also inspire younger fans.
"We want little girls to see themselves represented on the screen because if little girls see that it's possible to be a professional athlete, it will increase the chances that they will become one," said Barnes.
The first-ever women's sports bar, The Sports Bra, opened earlier this year in Portland. Barnes is optimistic that was just the start to leveling the playing field.
"There is one other bar in the entire world that prioritizes women sports, we will be the second in the world, we're really proud of that, but we really hope, this is not the first, the second of the last," said Barnes.
Barnes said the pub will also show other local professional sports teams like the Mariners, Sounders and the Seahawks. She wouldn’t disclose the exact location of the pub but said an announcement should be coming in the coming weeks.