{"id":250896,"date":"2026-04-04T01:35:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T01:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/250896\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T01:35:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T01:35:18","slug":"watch-me-sports-bar-is-the-go-to-for-girls-queers-and-beers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/250896\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch Me! Sports Bar is the go-to for girls, queers and beers"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the surge in popularity of women\u2019s sports over the last few years, businesses are opening up to celebrate and promote televised women\u2019s athletics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having first opened in 2024, Watch Me! Sports bar is California\u2019s first bar that puts a spotlight on women\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n

The bar\u2019s owner, Jax Diener, said she was inspired to open the bar as a result of her own lifelong interest in sports. She grew up playing softball and soccer, and said she loves the feeling of camaraderie and togetherness that sports provides.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked why she chose to open Watch Me! in Long Beach, she pointed to what she called the city\u2019s welcoming nature, and its notability for producing several Olympians and professional athletes.<\/p>\n

\"\"Watch Me! Sports Bar owner Jax Diener stands proud in front of California\u2019s first women\u2019s sports bar on March 19, 2026. Watch Me! welcomes all fans as they celebrate the determination and spirit of women athletes and fans. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

In the past five years, women\u2019s sports have seen a significant increase in interest,<\/a> proven by viewership numbers, attendance at games and higher contracts for athletes.<\/a> Specifically, a spike in viewership for women\u2019s college basketball during 2023 and 2024 was largely attributed to Caitlin Clark\u2019s time at University of Iowa , with this rise in popularity being dubbed the \u201cCaitlin Clark Effect.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch Me! emphasizes women\u2019s sports across its many televisions and various sports bar decor, showcasing leagues such as the WNBA, the National Women\u2019s Soccer League (NWSL), and more. Along with an emphasis on women\u2019s sports, the bar also features men\u2019s sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe focus on the women, they get to shine in here,\u201d said Diener.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The walls of Watch Me! are lined with accomplishments from and pictures of women athletes. Hanging pendants, photos, and jerseys line each wall of the bar, tying together Watch Me!\u2019s sports theme with an emphasis on celebrating women.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

While Watch Me!\u2019s opening was a celebratory one, Diener said the initial opening stages brought about unique challenges the team had to overcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe faced probably every challenge you could face,\u201d Diener said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The building on Pacific Coast Highway was originally a Mexican restaurant, which took Diener and her team two months to renovate. These renovations included addressing plumbing and kitchen issues. In dramatic fashion, Watch Me! obtained its business license just one day before its grand opening, which Diener said proved to others they could accomplish exactly what they had set out to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, lots of challenges, but we figured them out. And that\u2019s what Watch Me! Is about. Everyone said we wouldn\u2019t do it in under a year and we proved them otherwise,\u201d Diener said.<\/p>\n

Nearly two years since opening, the bar has found its groove showcasing women\u2019s sports and hosting events that serve the Long Beach community.<\/p>\n

\"\"The Long Beach LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce is celebrating their event at the Watch Me! Sports bar on March 19, 2026. Watch Me! dedicates to women league sports and Is open for everyone as they celebrate achievements and breaking barriers by women in the world of sports. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Watch Me! merchandise and photos of female sports icons who have visited the bar adorn the walls on March 19, 2026. Photos include veteran sports reporter Holly Rowe, \u201cA League Of Their Own\u201d inspiration Maybelle Blair and Olympic gold medalist and basketball icon Cheryl Miller. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

During the Signal Tribune\u2019s interview in mid-March, Watch Me! was playing, of course, March Madness games \u2014 and, of course, the women\u2019s games. With several different screens along the bar\u2019s walls, the games are made accessible from every seat in the bar. Guests sat at the bar ordering cocktails and beers, or ordered food to be brought out to their tables.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond playing the games, Watch Me! encourages patrons to participate in a \u201cBattle of the Brackets\u201d competition, which is free to enter and gives participants the chance to win prizes.<\/p>\n

Despite being a sports bar, Watch Me! features more than just games. The bar hosts interactive\u00a0 events to connect people in the community, such as a \u201cpaint and sip\u201d social mixer, or a \u201cqueer line dancing\u201d night.<\/p>\n

Alongside its slate of March Madness games, Watch Me! simultaneously hosted a women-owned business mixer. As the crowd of business owners mingled, the sound of the basketball game could still be heard all around the bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Customers sit down to enjoy the offering of sports available at Watch Me! Sports Bar on March 19, 2025., including NCAA women\u2019s basketball, golf and hockey. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

\"\"Watch Me! Bartender Kolby Lemasney serves a glass of cold beer to Lance Witmyer on March 19, 2026. Watch Me! welcomes all customers as they celebrate the accomplishments and determination of women athletes and fans. (Jorge Hernandez | Signal Tribune)<\/p>\n

The bar also features other amenities, including a newly-launched podcast studio<\/a>. Diener said the podcast studio is accessible during daytime business hours, and is free for anyone to book.<\/p>\n

Diener said that she was inspired to build a podcast studio within the bar as it provides a space for promotion and celebration of athletes. The studio functions as a part of Watch Me!\u2019s secondary business, Fuel Us! Sports + Entertainment, according to Diener.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d certainly want to sit in on a podcast with a sporty celeb and I think most would want to do the same,\u201d said Diener.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch Me! also offers a party bus program to Angel City FC women\u2019s soccer matches, and Diener says they will soon be offering rides to the Long Beach Amphitheater once it opens.<\/p>\n

Diener emphasized that Watch Me! prides itself on versatility, creating a welcoming space for anyone to enjoy sports and find community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re media, we\u2019re innovation, and we\u2019re empowerment,\u201d said Diener.<\/p>\n

Watch Me! Sports Bar is located at 6527 E. Pacific Coast Highway. They are open Mondays through Thursdays from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bar is hosting a NCAA Women\u2019s Basketball Block Party on April 3 and April 5 for the Final Four and National Championship, featuring local vendors as well as food and drink specials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

See updates and events on their Instagram @watchme_sportsbar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the surge in popularity of women\u2019s sports over the last few years, businesses are opening up to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":250897,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[767,131,133,132,127,111573,111580,8859],"class_list":{"0":"post-250896","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-long-beach","8":"tag-local-business","9":"tag-long-beach","10":"tag-long-beach-headlines","11":"tag-long-beach-news","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-sports-issue","14":"tag-watch-me-sports-bar","15":"tag-womens-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=250896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/250897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=250896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=250896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=250896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}