By In a city known for its vibrant and diverse community, Long Beach is now home to California’s first women’s sports bar, Watch Me! Sports Bar.
Located in Marketplace Long Beach, directly across from the 2ND & PCH shopping center, the bar’s goal is to celebrate the determination and achievements of women athletes and fans.
With its official grand opening on July 26, which coincided with the start of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, the bar attracted fans who were eager to experience this one-of-a-kind venue.
The opening day was marked by enthusiastic crowds, many sporting jerseys and apparel of their favorite teams, as they enjoyed themed food and drink specials while watching the Olympic Games unfold on numerous TV screens.
The concept behind Watch Me! Sports Bar is rooted in a sense of empowerment and salute to women’s sports, a vision shared by co-owners Jackie “Jax” Diener and Megan “Emme” Eddy.
Inspired by similar women-focused sports bars in cities like Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis, the pair set out to create a space where fans of women’s sports could gather, connect and feel truly welcomed.
“We wanted to open a space where everyone could feel comfortable watching any sport they love, without judgment,” Diener said. “We saw what Jenny Nguyen did with The Sports Bar in Portland, and it was like a light bulb moment, we needed something like that here.”
Jackie Diener, the owner of Watch Me! Sports Bar, laughs with Telemundo 52 Los Angeles’ Gordon Tokumatsu as the sports bar opens up on Aug. 6, 2024 for an Olympics watch party. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
The bar is designed with a circular setup, encouraging a communal atmosphere where conversations flow as easily as the drinks. Every seat in the house has a clear view of the numerous screens, each tuned to women’s sports events from around the world.
And unlike most sports bars, Watch Me! Sports Bar ensures that the sound is always on for women’s games, making it clear that these athletes are the stars of the show.
“We’re predominantly women’s sports, and we love men’s sports too. So we’ll show the NFL, we’ll show the Dodgers for example,” Diener said. “But always have on the women’s games.”
Diener and Eddy’s choice of Long Beach as the location for the bar was both practical and personal. The bar’s location, nestled between L.A, Orange County and other key regions, makes it accessible to a wide range of patrons who share a passion for women’s sports.
“We live in Long Beach, and I think Long Beach is the perfect culture,” Diener said. “There’s a lot of athletes that have come from Long Beach and I just love it down here. So it was just that I grew up in LA, and I just feel like, Long Beach is a no brainer.”
The response from the community has been overwhelming with standing-room-only crowds during major events and a rapidly growing social media presence that has already garnered thousands of followers.
“We’re the first in California. We’ve got to catch on at some point, and then it just took. It was actually NBC that came to us first. And after that aired all the other local news started coming out here, and then all of the newspapers, and then we just started picking up,” Diener said. “And hats off to our social media manager, who has done a great job, you know, keeping us relevant and sharing our content.”
Katy Hain, bartender for Watch Me! Sports Bar smiles and talks with patrons as she helps the customers get set up before the women’s volleyball game begins. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko
Long Beach natives Jody Wise and Karyl Anthony found out about the bar through a neighbor and everyone around them who were talking about the bar.
“We came here when it first opened and it was super busy. We are sports fanatics. We watch soccer, volleyball, and swimming,” Anthony said. “So seeing this puts a smile to our faces.”
The bar continues to grow as the owners have big plans for the future, including partnerships with local universities such as Long Beach State and hosting live podcasts with athletes and coaches.
“We have a good partnership with coach Amy Wright for women’s basketball and coach Alyssa Waite for women’s golf. I consider them friends of ours and mine personally.” Diener said. “We’d love to have signage up in the Pyramid and we would like to have a strong relationship with the university, so we definitely wanted to partner wherever we can.”
