Kinsey Bussell, 36, has had a basketball in their hand since they could walk.
Bussell co-organized WNBGay, a basketball meet-up that centers queer women of color. The organization, which isn’t currently active, has hosted tournaments and watch parties.
So it was only fitting that Bussell was excited when The Sports Bra announced it was going to open a franchise in Indianapolis.
“Sometimes I’ll go into a bar and ask if they’ll put on a very important women’s sports game and there’s always a lot of push back,” Bussell said. “It will be great to go somewhere that is the default.”
But if you’ve been waiting to watch games at Indy’s new women-owned sports bar, the wait will continue.
The bar was originally supposed to open in the summer, then fall, but owner Eve Keller said she’s stopped predicting the dates. She’s still hopeful the bar will open by the end of the year or early 2027.
Keller, who co-owns the franchise with wife Jenni White and Tony Longoria, said there are many reasons for the delay on The Sports Bra Indy’s official opening.
Renovations are taking longer than expected because the building, located at 15 E. Maryland St., is historic which requires legal approval from the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission. The bar is about a five minute walk from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and the new $78 million Indiana Fever Sports Performance Center, which is set to open in March.
Keller said the sidewalk is not wide enough to accommodate outdoor seating and it’s near the Hampton Inn’s valet parking lane. So they’re opening all of the front windows of the bar to still give an outdoor patio feeling when the weather permits. They received approval from IHPC Sept. 1.
Other improvements include fixing the ceiling and flooring and replacing bathroom doors to make them ADA accessible.
She said the bar recently received its building permits and signed the paperwork for a SBA loan two weeks ago. On Sept. 24, The Sports Bra Indy was awarded a $20,000 “Changing the Game” grant from Stanley 1913 and Togethxr.
Fundraising has been part of the delay as well. The bar surpassed its Kickstarter goal of $50,000; the campaign closes Oct. 16. On Oct. 12, the Sports Bra Indy raised $250 from T-shirt sales at a fundraiser co-hosted by IF Theatre.
They also hired an assistant general manager, but aren’t hiring other staff until they know more about the construction timeline. Follow all social media and Indeed for hiring announcements.
The original Sports Bra opened in Portland, Oregon, in 2022 as the first sports bar 100% dedicated to women’s sports. The expansion of the franchise to other cities, including Boston, Las Vegas, St. Louis and Portland, Maine, comes at a time when women’s sports are gaining more popularity.
According to a 2025 Nielsen report, people watched 46 billion minutes of women’s sports in the U.S. The 2025 WNBA season was the most-watched regular season and postseason ever on ESPN, averaging 1.3 million viewers per game.
“I can see how much of an impact that women’s sports is having on young girls and being able to see it as an option for themselves as an entrepreneur,” Keller said. “I was not going to pass us by and applied for a franchise.”
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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