Salem entrepreneurs test the limits of the Northwest’s passion for women’s sports

As Nina and Beth Freelander walk into Icarus Wings and Things in downtown Salem, they wave to the owners before taking a seat at a table near Nina’s signature on the wall.

As a member of a local rugby team, Nina was invited to sign the wall when Icarus opened in March. The gluten-free gourmet chicken wing restaurant is dedicated to supporting local women’s sports teams, including showing mostly women’s sports on the four TVs.

The Freelanders show up on this particular Friday to watch a National Women’s Soccer League playoff game.

“We actually don’t have the streaming service that shows this game because women’s sports are notoriously difficult to find on TV,” Beth Freelander said. “They’re not all on one platform, and so it’s nice to have a place where we can reliably go to watch the games that we want to see.”

Despite a lack of media coverage and a history of discrimination, sports marketing experts say the fan base for women’s sports is growing. And those fans are willing to pay to watch and support their teams. Meanwhile, business owners in Portland and Seattle garnered national attention when they opened up women’s sports bars that are proving successful. Now, four Salem entrepreneurs are experimenting with the concept outside of a major city – so far, with mixed results.

“The food’s really good and that brings some folks in,” said Icarus co-owner Aaron Gilliland. “And I think folks will come in for NWSL playoffs or certain things, but it’s just not enough to keep up with the numbers that you need throughout the year.”

On top of the challenges restaurants face when starting out — like getting the right permits, finding the best spot, raising funds, training and holding onto staff, and building a customer base — women’s sports bars face an additional hurdle. They need to figure out how to actually provide the entertainment customers are being promised: televised women’s sports.