DENVER, Colo. — Miranda Spencer and Annie Weaver met less than a year ago while playing flag football. Today, they're not just teammates. They're also business partners and in the process of opening the 99ers bar — Denver's first sports bar catering primarily toward women's athletics.
The bar is located at 909 E. Colfax Avenue.
The idea came around on the way home from a flag football game. Weaver brought it up. Spencer was the only one on board.
“It was her dream and then it became our dream," Spencer said.
The duo named the bar after the 1999 U.S. Women's Soccer Team, which won the world cup. Spencer and Weaver were inspired by the team and grew up playing sports, but could rarely find a spot broadcasting a women's sports game. Recently, the two tried to catch the Iowa State women's basketball team in March Madness, but the bar they visited couldn't change the channel on any of their 20 TVs.
“I watched it on my phone at the bar," Weaver said.
Weaver and Spencer said they believe this is the perfect time for the 99ers, as women’s sports bars continue to grow in the United States. Weaver was inspired by the Sports Bra, a Portland bar that was the first of its kind in Oregon.
"This movement is huge. It's exciting. And we're thrilled to be a part of it," Weaver said.
Deloitte, a major British accounting firm, reported that all women's professional sports will cross the $1 billion mark in revenue this year. Additionally, the recent Iowa-LSU women's NCAA tournament game had the highest viewership numbers of the year, topping even the men's basketball games, according to ESPN.
Weaver and Spencer cite the explosion of Caitlin Clark as a factor in the growth of female athletics. They said they hope to see other athletes reach similar heights.
"There are women who are very successful and competitive and do this for a living," Weaver said. "We want to create a space, especially for youth growing up, that they have somebody to look up to and that looks like them on TV.”
Spencer and Weaver are currently busy with the construction. The hope to host around 30 people at a time.
They plan to open the 99ers in June.
