Silver Lake is now the home of the First Women's Sports Bar in Los Angeles

When Janie and Stephanie Ellingwood went to a local brewery one night to see a football game of the American women's national team with some friends, they did not think it would be a big problem to ask the staff to turn on the sound.

The waiters had always been friendly to the married couple, who frequented the bar at least several times a week. And they were the only clients in the small room, located far from the main observation area where the volume was at full speed. So they were surprised when the staff demolished their application without any explanation.

Inaugurated in early June to coincide with the month of pride, Untamed Spirits is the first women's sports bar in the city of Los Angeles.

(Alyy Aliano / For the Times)

The Ellingwoods continued to see the nail bite game with subtitles, but as it became increasingly exciting, customers began to spill to their side of the bar. In a short time, the small room was full.

“We were all encouraging,” says Janie. “We all got high five.”

Even so, the staff refused to increase the volume.

The experience left the Ellingwoods, who are staunch fans of the Sparks and the headlines of seasonal tickets for Angel City Football Club, wondering why there were no bars in Los Angeles where women's sports could see comfortably without feeling ostracted. Then they decided to create theirs.

After months of looking for a location, the wife of wife and wife took over another sports bar in Silver Lake, previously known as Trophy Wife, and made it indomitable spirits, the first female sports bar in the city of the city of the

Inaugurated in early June to coincide with the month of pride, Untomed Spirits joins a brief list of bars in the United States dedicated to women's sports, including Portland sports bra, which is expanding four new cities, including Las Vegas and Boston; Rough & Tumble in Seattle; Minnesota is an own bar; and Rikki in San Francisco. Long Beach looks at me! Sports Bar, who opened its doors last July, was the first in California.

Stephanie, 37, who played professional golf for a few years, felt that she needed her something like this. “Something that is a bit more elegant, which is not sticky when you put your arms in the bar,” he describes.

“For once, I want to see a game in the bar with sound instead of a random place in the corner,” adds Janie, 34.

An employee cooking wings in indomitable spirits

On a recent Tuesday night, Janie was behind the counter pouring drinks, including her angel city pink chest, for customers, for customers sitting at the bar, which was adorned with rainbow flags and a flag of the Angel City football club. Meanwhile, Stephanie was floating around space, reviewing customers. The couple, who gathered while playing volleyball together in the fifth High School, also directs a croissant bakery.

The bar is elegant and modern: a Neon Rink sign Lee “Welcome to the Innocent Era”, and Black and White capricious illustrations cover some of the walls. Menstrual products are shown at the bathroom counter. The spacious patio is full of plants and a sign that says “Looks at women's sports here.” (There is a TV in almost every corner, so there is no bad seat). Although indomitable spirits specialize in women's sports of all kinds, even the most niche as kayak, says Janie, the bar also practices male sports.

Sitting on a table with an appointment and two friends, Marina Survines, 31, says that she discovered that queer bars such as HI tops in the happy are more likely to practice women's sports, but felt that “it's time”, there is a place dedicated to them. She remembers her experience trying to see the FIFA Women's World Cup in a bar.

Kimchi fried rice bowl in indomitable spirits

“There was like a World Cup television of the 10 televisions they had, and it was a bit fascinating,” she says. “As, 'am I the only one who wears a shirt today? Ok, no problem.'”

Survines says that female sports are as exciting as male sports.

Lisa Marie Ornelas, 30, agrees. “Women [athletes]In a way, have a little more to demonstrate, ”she says.

According to Nielsen, the indominal spirits arrive in Los Angeles at a time when the interest in women's sports is expanding to a “meteoric rhythm” worldwide. The 2024 NCAA female basketball tournament averaged almost 19 million viewers (with a peak of 24 million viewers for the final game between Iowa and South Carolina), an 89% increase in the previous year. The WNBA Draft audience increased 511%, and the general interest in the league increased by 29% between 2023 and 2024. The National Women's Soccer League saw an increase of 17% in interest between 2023 and 2024. With the highest interest, a higher expense in advertising expenditure also increased: in 2024, television ads spent $ 244 million in women's sports 139%, according to the television marketing company.

“Women in general have been practicing great sports for a long time,” says Stephanie. “I think that the right people who have the ability to put them in the center of attention are finally realizing.”

It is expected that more female sports bars open throughout the country. Jax Diener, who opened Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach with his wife about a year ago, he remembers when women's sports were not broadcast on television. She went to the first WNBA game in the forum in 1997.

“We used to go home after those games that were so exciting and light sports that night to see the repetitions, and were not even mentioned,” says Diener. “It was as if the league did not even exist.”

Diener says she was excited when she learned from another female sports bar that will be inaugurated in southern California. “For me, it was really important for them to know that we are in this together,” he says, and adds that he has a text thread with other women's sports bars where they share advice. “This is not a competition. This is women who support women.”

Unomed Spirits recently became an official partner of Angel City Football Club, which has a group of majority owners led by women that includes Natalie Portman, Abby Wambach and America Ferrera. Ellingwoods will organize their first watch party on September 7 when ACFC opposes Gotham FC.

Janie and Stephanie, who have been in the bar every day since she opened, say they are excited to distill their own spirit, organize more events and see parties in space and encourage community among lovers of women's sports.

“Some people can call it a trend, but it's not a trend,” says Janie. “I think it's a movement.”