Crowds flock to new Long Beach bar showcasing women's sports

Jackie “Jax” Diener always had to prove herself. Her short stature caused her to be overlooked when it came to sports, and deep down, the fact that she was adopted as a child was always on her mind. She was constantly told she wouldn’t succeed, but she was too ambitious. Too athletic. Too driven. She wanted to prove others wrong, and two words quickly became her mantra in life:

Look at me.

“When someone doubts you, what do you say?” Diener said. “You just go out there and prove it to them.”

So when it came time for Diener to name the business she and her partner and wife, Emme Eddy, had started, they already had the perfect name for it. Watch Me! Sports Bar opened its doors in Long Beach on Friday with a mission to shine a spotlight on women's sports.

That mission is apparent as soon as you walk through the door — and past the line of customers that wraps around the strip mall where the bar is located — and are greeted by a mural with the words “BE A CHANGEMAKER” repeated in large, bold letters. Signatures of women’s sports legends like Penny Toler, the first WNBA player to score a basket for the Sparks; Saskia Webber, a World Cup winner and member of the 1999 U.S. women’s national soccer team; and 2023 Pan American Games gold medalist rower Maddie Focht fill the spaces, with plenty of room for future athletes to make their mark.

“I think it’s important for young women to also think about the possibility of changing the trajectory of the future,” said Corie Mattie, the artist who donated the mural. “When you look at Megan Rapinoe, or even Billie Jean King, they were the ones who made the change… Title IX, speaking up for the politics and the current social climate. That’s all we need in the future, and young people are going to bring that.”

That is, in essence, the spirit of Watch Me! A nod to the past and the legends that made this bar, the first of its kind in California, possible, while also establishing a space to cultivate the next generation of icons.

Watch Me! is one of five sports bars in the United States dedicated to broadcasting women's sports. The number is expected to grow as others follow the example of Portland's successful Sports Bra.

Customers fill the bar, order food and drinks and watch women's sports during the grand opening of Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach on Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

It's a space Diener would have liked to have had as a child. A place where she could go after a game on Sunday and watch her idols on the screen with her teammates and family.

“It means a lot to us to create a space not only for them, but for the older generations who didn’t get the recognition they deserved,” Diener said. “So we’re trying to celebrate all the sports, the athletes and the women who have been there.”

Toler realized the need for a space like Watch Me! when he went to California Pizza Kitchen, down the street from Crypto.com Arena, and saw a collage of Lakers, Kings, Dodgers and Rams posters adorning the walls. The Sparks, whom Toler helped win three WNBA championships in his 20 years as general manager, were nowhere to be found.

“As [can] … To be downtown and not have the Sparks logo?” Toler said. “But I thought this was great. It was about time it was done.”

For Webber, the concept for Watch Me! was a long-held dream, and while the grand opening was long overdue, the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

The WNBA and NWSL are enjoying unprecedented popularity and viewership. Angel City FC, which has a partnership with Watch Me!, is the richest women’s sports club in the world, valued at $500 million. Women are making their mark in the NBA, where reigning G League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding was recently hired as an assistant coach for the Lakers.

Customers toast while watching women's sports during the grand opening of Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach on Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

“It’s a positive thing all around,” Webber said. “And when you have a community place where people can come, have a good meal, have a few cocktails, but also watch your idols on TV… it’s amazing. You can have those role models and it helps your community. It just grows the sport and increases the fan base.”

With the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics playing on almost every screen in the house, Maddie Focht beamed with pride as she showed off her Pan American Games medals to the bar’s patrons. Her mother told her about the opening of Watch Me! and she knew immediately that they had to go support her.

“Not only do I feel very happy to have a place like this, but I also feel very blessed that something like this has happened,” Focht said. “Because it allows the community of women to come forward and be present.”