Portland has the Sports Bra, Minneapolis has A Bar of Their Own and, now, after nearly a year of renovations, Babe’s Sports Bar has finally opened its doors at 3017 W. Armitage Avenue. Chicago’s women’s sports fans are already calling it their new home turf, and for good reason.
The women-owned bar—co-founded by Nora McConnell-Johnson and Tora Spillane, former college rugby co-captains—is the city’s first bar devoted entirely to women’s sports. Named after legendary multi-sport athlete Mildred “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, the space opened in September to crowds so big that the bar had to close the next day just to recoup and restock.
The vibe at Babe’s is part neighborhood pub, part shrine to women’s athletic history. Inside, walls are lined with donated trophies, team photos and vintage varsity letters. Tables are embedded with old sports images and memorabilia, and a vintage scoreboard salvaged from an Illinois rec center will soon hang beside a set of 12-seat bleachers. Donors who contributed $1,000 to Babe’s crowdfunding campaign were rewarded with personal brass nameplates along the bar, a classy thank-you that cements their place in the space’s story.
The bar itself is a riot of green and pink, with disco balls in the bathrooms (which have their own Instagram account), colorful lighting and wallpaper designed by women artists. Out back, a refreshed patio adds even more room for fans to gather.
And gather they do. With eight TVs streaming only women’s sports, Babe’s is the go-to spot to catch the Chicago Sky, Stars FC, Tempest rugby, Winds women’s football or Windy City Rollers. The bar will also air volleyball, softball, gymnastics and more, depending on what fans want to see. (The staff takes streaming requests)
Behind the bar, manager Margaux Lent brings her cocktail lab to life with Prosecco on tap, fresh juices and house-made syrups. Drinks range from a chili margarita with passionfruit nectar to a Prosecco negroni.
Programming goes beyond watch parties: Babe’s plans movie nights, women’s sports 101 sessions and quirky events like a Paige Bueckers lookalike contest on November 1.
Babe’s is open Tuesday–Thursday from 4pm to 11pm, Friday from 4pm to midnight, Saturday from noon to midnight and Sunday from noon to 11pm. For fans who’ve waited too long to see women’s sports take center stage, this bar is a long-overdue celebration.