Watch New York Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx WNBA Finals Game 3 live stream for free

RELATED CONTENT:

During the WNBA season, bars and restaurants said they saw greater customer demand for women’s sports

By ANDREW SELIGMAN AP Sports Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — Josh Pehlke remembers that just a few years ago he had to beg and beg in bars and restaurants so they could show WNBA games. All too often the answer was a resounding no.

These days he doesn’t have to worry so much.

As general manager of Signature Bar & Restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, he has a say when it comes to a 3-point shot from the Chicago Sky’s home at Wintrust Arena. But even when he’s not at work, he notices a difference.

“I’ve been to Cubs games and sports bars in Wrigleyville this season and seen the WNBA on TV, whereas two or three years ago that wasn’t happening,” Pehlke said.

The WNBA attracted sellout crowds and unprecedented ratings in a transformative season that concludes with a playoff between the New York Liberty, seeking their first title, and the Minnesota Lynx, seeking their record fifth. The best-of-five series began Thursday with Minnesota taking on New York in overtime.

Whether Indiana’s Caitlin Clark and Chicago’s Angel Reese transferred their compelling rivalry from college to the pros, Simone Biles won more gold at the Olympics or 92,003 fans packed Nebraska’s football stadium for a volleyball game, women’s sports in general are drawing more and more attention.

Sports bars and restaurants are taking note and adapting their marketing and menus to attract a wider range of customers. At least some say they are seeing increased demand for women’s sports on their televisions, although the evidence is more anecdotal than statistical. In recent years, a few stores have opened specifically for women’s sports, such as The Sports Bra in Portland, Oregon.

Either way, fans have a choice if they want to eat and drink and watch an away game.

“You’ll see small groups of women coming out to watch the actual sporting events,” said Brian Wright, CEO of Bar Louie. “And there are now many men who demand women’s sports. So it’s a kind of paradigm shift in the way women’s sports are viewed. It was very rare for a group of men to come in and say, ‘Can you host the WNBA game?’ It’s really become commonplace now.”

Bar Louie has restaurants in 21 states from coast to coast and up to 20 TVs per location. As for how many are tailored to each sport, Wright said there’s no real scientific basis for it. But he is sure of a few things.

The chain attracts a larger proportion of female customers. And if Clark or Reese played, it’s good for business. For example, their NCAA Tournament games over the past two years resulted in an approximately 10% increase in revenue.

In Twin Peaks, where most locations have 16 satellites and 75 televisions, the clientele is about 80% men, said CEO Joe Hummel. But the gender gap is narrowing.

“Five years ago we might not have promoted or promoted women’s March Madness,” Hummel said.

The company evaluates the schedule each day to determine how many televisions are tuned to each game. Restaurants can adapt based on news and customer demand, which is critical. Hummel said Twin Peaks doesn’t track how many televisions are tuned to specific events or how many customers want a seat to watch a particular game.

“It would be very difficult,” he said. “Our operators communicate a lot with the guest and if we flooded our operators – you have to track this, this and that all the time – they would end up worrying about the stats and not even caring about the guests.”

Nicole Bond, associate director of marketing strategy at Mintel Comperemedia, said her company’s research shows 71% of consumers believe women’s sports will continue to grow in popularity. She experiences it firsthand in her part-time job as a bartender at Bernie’s Tap & Grill near Wrigley Field in Chicago.

“Men prefer women’s athletics,” said Bond, a former Northwestern softball player. “And I hear the conversations you hear about what’s happening in the W, or what’s happening in the NWSL, or whatever it is. It’s become really interesting and is becoming the norm in bar conversations. I think people want to see these games and groups as much as you do when you invite people to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup.”

Pehlke became a WNBA fan about a decade ago and began following the Sky when they added Chicago-area product Candace Parker ahead of the 2021 championship season. He grew up as a Los Angeles Lakers fan in northern Wisconsin.

Pehlke, whose friend has season tickets, is a regular at Sky games at the Wintrust Arena. He even collects WNBA trading cards.

Signature, owned by former Bears defenseman Israel Idonije, opened in January. There are 13 televisions hanging on the walls, ten of which show the WNBA broadcast on a Friday evening near the end of the regular season. Six showed the Sky game in Minnesota.

During the playoffs, Pehlke said the restaurant received more requests for televisions to be tuned to the WNBA. He also expected an uptick in business.

“Demand has been outstanding throughout the playoffs,” he said. “I was very happy to see that it didn’t just apply to the Fever games, but seemingly to all games.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article