Dem
47
GOP
53
Since we're a politics-themed site, these "Schadenfreude" and "Freudenfreude" items have to have at least some vague connection to politics. And upbeat politics-oriented news is a bit hard to come by right now, for obvious reasons. So, we're going to run with something we've been holding in reserve for a while.
The key figure in this particular story is Jenny Nguyen, who lives in Portland, OR, and who is a fan of sports. Women's sports, specifically. And she noticed that all the sports bars she visited tended to show only men's sports. (Z) has been to many sports bars, and can confirm that observation. It's almost exclusively MLB, the NBA, the NFL and EPL. He cannot remember ever having seen women's sports at a sports bar, except during the Women's World Cup.
In any event, Nguyen decided to do something about this problem, and so raised the funds to open a women's sports-focused sports bar in her hometown, which she named The Sports Bra. Go back and read that again, if you did not pick up on the bit the first time. She did not have too much trouble getting capital for a business that is owned by a woman, a person of color and a member of the LGBT community. The menu is a blend of sports-bar classics (nachos, Philly cheesesteaks) and recipes that Nguyen learned from her mother and aunt (Vietnamese-style wings, Vietnamese baby back ribs). If there is anything more Portland than a women's-sports-focused sports bar that is owned by a lesbian and serves Vietnamese food, we don't know what that might be.
The Sports Bra has been open for a couple of years at this point, and has become pretty enmeshed in its community. For example, it will once again be doing "Gracegiving" this year, where food is prepared and served for those who cannot afford a Thanksgiving dinner. It also holds various specialty events, and produces a blog on women's sports. Perhaps most importantly, the bar is profitable, enough so that it's franchising, and similar businesses are opening across the U.S.
The political angle might not be immediately obvious. If it's not, well, the U.S. just went through an election where women's sports were used in a cynical and largely dishonest fashion. We'd be willing to bet large sums of money that a lot of people who were focused on that issue in 2024 didn't give a damn about women's sports 2 years ago, and will go back to not giving a damn about women's sports once it's no longer a culture wars issue. Nguyen, by contrast, is using women's sports to unify and inspire, which is a rather better thing, we would say.
So, kudos to her, and have a good weekend, all! (Z)