Why Atlanta’s women-owned sports bars can both win
In 2022, there was only one women’s sports bar in the country.
In 2026, there are more than 25 nationwide. Two of them are in Atlanta — and they are in the same neighborhood, on the same street, with a similar tagline.
This month, when the owner of Urban Pie announced the restaurant was being rebranded as a women’s sports bar in June, not everyone was pleased with the news.
Located in Kirkwood, the 20-year-old pizzeria is just down the street from the new permanent home of Jolene, Jolene, Atlanta’s first women’s sports bar.
Two women’s sports bars in the same neighborhood?
Has Atlanta gone mad? Probably.
But a situation that looks like a lack of business savvy and feels a little petty, could ultimately be a boon to women’s sports bars in the city.
The two businesses, both women and LGBTQ+ owned, collaborated in the not-distant past, screening games and hosting watch parties together.
Jolene, Jolene was the scrappy, crowdfunded upstart looking for a home and Urban Pie was the neighborhood stalwart with space to offer. The businesses later parted ways but neither strayed too far from the other, geographically or conceptually.
Jolene, Jolene found a permanent home 0.2 miles away on the same street, Hosea L. Williams Dr., with plans to open this summer before the FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, Urban Pie was featured on Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue” in April to troubleshoot the bar’s “confused identity” and the owner’s “destructive” management style. Weeks after the episode aired, Urban Pie revealed its new focus as a women’s sports bar.
A commenter on social media questioned the timing of Urban Pie’s rebrand and wondered if it would negatively impact Jolene, Jolene’s opening. Urban Pie responded before later disabling additional commentary:
“We hear your concerns and appreciate your perspective. We’ve collaborated on events in the past and we’re now each focused on our own paths. Urban Pie’s direction is about building our own women’s sports centered experience and community.”
And just like that, Atlanta became one of five cities with multiple women’s sports bars, according to Athletes Unlimited Women’s Sports Bar Alliance.
The rise of women’s sports bars coincides with the growing interest in women’s college and professional sports.
The boxing rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in 2024 drew 74 million viewers globally to Netflix and was the most-watched women’s sports event in U.S. history.
In 2024, the NCAA women’s basketball national championship between South Carolina and Iowa was the most-watched basketball game of any kind with about 18.9 million viewers.
The buzzy acquisition of Angel Reese by the Atlanta Dream has brought even more energy to women’s sports in Atlanta, as demonstrated by the sold-out season opener at State Farm Arena on Sunday.
Atlanta also has two professional women’s volleyball teams: The Atlanta Vibe (Major League Volleyball) and LOVE Atlanta (League One Volleyball).
In 2028, Atlanta will become the 17th team in the National Women’s Soccer League, which currently operates under a $240 million cross-platform media rights deal.
Though some leagues have no immediate plans for Atlanta expansion, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which launched in 2023, continues to gain viewers while the Women’s Pro Baseball League is set to begin in August following the Women’s Baseball World Cup.
The landscape is wide enough, now and in the future, for Atlanta to support two bars that center women’s sports. And ultimately, the more women’s sports bars there are in the city, the better.
It’s unfortunate that only one neighborhood will play host to these burgeoning businesses, but some businesses like to keep their competition close, and competition is a good thing for consumers.
If Atlanta’s only two women’s sports bars are in the same neighborhood, less than a mile from each other, any prospective customer who is interested in attending a woman-centric sports bar will end up in the area.
With competition practically next door, Jolene, Jolene and Urban Pie can’t settle for simply being a women’s sports bar in Atlanta. To stand out, each bar must find its niche by focusing on their core customers and how they are best served. In the end, that means a better experience for fans.
Instead of pitting these two bars against each other, we should celebrate that they even exist. Many women’s sports bars across the country have had to rely on crowdfunding, grants and diversification to start or stay in business.
Though Georgia has the closest proportion of women-to-men-owned small businesses (0.89 to 1), women entrepreneurs still face significant funding gaps. They may find it harder to buy or lease spaces and secure bank loans. Women-founded startups consistently receive less than 2% of venture capital funding and less than a third of deals.
There are many ways this women’s sports bar standoff in Atlanta could go wrong, but we should also view it as an opportunity for success.
It is another moment for women to show they can thrive, compete and win in a league of their own.
Read more on the Real Life blog (www.ajc.com/opinion/real-life-blog/) and find Nedra on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AJCRealLifeColumn) and X (@nrhoneajc) or email her at nedra.rhone@ajc.com.
About the Author
Nedra Rhone is a columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and co-host of the It's UATL podcast
