Jolene Jolene will bring Atlanta its first women’s sports bar

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People gather at a Jolene Jolene event to watch USA women’s volleyball during the 2024 Olympic games.

Credit: Provided by Jolene Jolene

Chelsea Fishman wants women’s sports to be taken more seriously. 

Fishman, who grew up in Gwinnett County and now lives in Decatur, has played soccer all her life. Her love for the sport led to a career in marketing after college, working for a women’s athletic apparel company where she built campaigns around female athletes and professional soccer players. 

The work spotlighted the need for finding opportunities to uplift women in sports, as well as highlighted the inequities female athletes face in gaining financial support and building and growing fanbases. It’s not lost on Fishman that men currently dominate the world of sports, from airtime to television sponsorship deals to brand endorsements.

While attending an equality summit in Australia during the FIFA Women’s World Cup last year, Fishman said women from across sports, including soccer star Brandi Chastain and tennis legend Billie Jean King, shared stories of the gender biases they faced in their professional athletic careers. The conversations, however, also sparked ideas for bringing about positive changes in women’s sports and creating spaces where female athletes on all levels could shine.

Fishman took what she learned at the summit to heart and will open Atlanta’s first women’s sports bar called Jolene Jolene next year. 

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Gwinnett County native, soccer player, and Jolene Jolene owner Chelsea Fishman.

Credit: Provided by Jolene Jolene

Why a women’s sports bar

“Like other fans of women’s sports, I’ve been frustrated at bars when I want to watch a game but the bar doesn’t have it or won’t show it with sound or won’t put it on at all,” said Fishman of the need for a bar centered on women’s sports. “We are a women’s sports town. We have two pro leagues now [in the WNBA’s Atlanta Dreamand Atlanta Vibe volleyball] and nowhere to really watch these teams on TV with other fans.” 

Atlanta also features semi-professional women’s sports teams, including soccer team Decatur FC and the Atlanta Rage tackle football team.  

She said a lack of enthusiasm amongst fans isn’t the problem. It’s a lack of places to gather as a fanbase, not to mention the disparities in salary, television deals, and brand endorsements between male and female professional athletes. 

Fishman points to WNBA star Caitlin Clark breaking records during her college career and outspoken U.S. pro soccer players like Megan Rapinoe for pushing the conversation forward on the inequities between men’s versus women’s sports. Athletes like Clark and Rapinoe brought eyeballs to watch their games, and fans made noise about the need for equal airtime. The leagues, sponsors, and brands followed.

By the numbers

According to a recent report from CNN, WNBA players receive around 10% of overall revenue as compared to players in the NBA receiving 50% of the revenue stipulated in the latest collective bargaining agreements in the respective leagues. 

To put it into perspective, first-round draft pick Caitlin Clark will receive $338.1k over the next four years, with a starting salary of $76,535. The first-round draft pick for the NBA, Victor Wembanyama, will make $55.2 million, with a starting salary of $12.2 million.

The WNBA players’ agreement also only allows revenue sharing – aka merchandise sales and broadcast sponsorships – if ticket sales and viewership thresholds are met. Viewership, Fishman said, is key. 

Opening Jolene Jolene in Atlanta and providing a place for people to watch women’s sports is another step toward closing the viewership gap. 

What to expect

“I’ve had some people ask me about the viability of a women’s sports bar. ‘Can it be successful?’ ‘Is there enough to watch?’,” said Fishman. “If there’s nothing on TV, we’ll replay a big game from another year, just like other sports bars do, like a ‘best of’ night. We will fill Jolene Jolene with 365 days of women’s sports.”

Named for her cat and Fishman’s love for Dolly Parton, Jolene Jolene doesn’t have a home yet. But after exceeding her $32,000 Kickstarter goal by more than $3,000 earlier this summer, Fishman said she’s close to securing a permanent location for the sports bar. While she wouldn’t disclose the targeted neighborhood, the location will reside within the Perimeter. 

Expect typical bar food, including “a really good burger,” along with cocktails, beer, and wine. She’s still in talks with a few people about leading the kitchen at Jolene Jolene.

Fishman said she wants to prop up local women’s sports leagues, too, offering Jolene Jolene as a space to gather and celebrate or decompress after a game. Jolene Jolene has already generated interest from local leagues, from ultimate frisbee to kickball, who want to stream other leagues’ matches on YouTube at the bar.

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Jolene Jolene owner Chelsea Fishman talks at a recent event about showing up for women’s sports.

Credit: Provided by Jolene Jolene

“I’d love to play all kinds of women’s sports. We’re in a really exciting time now with access to games for the WNBA and women’s soccer,” said Fishman. “But I also want Jolene Jolene to focus on Atlanta sports, including our basketball and volleyball pro teams, and our mom-and-pop leagues.” 

Until Fishman secures a lease, Jolene Jolene will continue popping up at local breweries, which recently included some Atlanta Dream watch parties and an event at Slow Pour Brewing in Lawrenceville to watch Team USA’s women’s volleyball in collaboration with the Atlanta Vibe during the Olympics. The next Jolene Jolene event takes place on Saturday, August 10, as a watch party for the women’s soccer Olympic gold medal match, followed by a FuseTV special event on August 14 at Roundtrip Brewing. 

“You may not come into Jolene Jolene a women’s sports fan, but you might leave one. I want everybody to feel comfortable coming in here,” said Fishman. “I know a lot of sports bars can be intimidating, especially if you’re not a fan, but that’s not how we will operate Jolene Jolene. Everyone will be welcome, no matter what.”

Follow Jolene Jolene on Instagram for updates on the location and events.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Rough Draft Atlanta.