Marsha’s, Philly’s first women’s sports bar, opens tonight. It will be like ‘going to your favorite aunt’s house.’
Chivonn Anderson struggled to find a spot to watch the women’s World Cup, so she took matters into her own hands.
The days of having to beg a bartender to put on a women’s sports event on are over.
On Friday, Marsha’s, Philly’s first women’s sports bar, will open at 430 South St., providing a new home for those fans in the city, an idea that was born after owner Chivonn Anderson couldn’t find a place in Philadelphia to turn on the 2019 women’s soccer World Cup final.
“When I came back from traveling in Europe to watch the women’s national team play for the World Cup, I had to argue with the bartender to put on the match,” Anderson said. “It was just like, ‘This is ridiculous.’ When an opportunity presented itself for me to be able to buy the bar and the liquor license, I was like, ‘Let’s do it.’”
The bar, named after Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender woman who was an early gay rights leader at Stonewall, has a lounge space with baseball stadium seating, the Megan Rapinoe women’s national team jersey that Anderson wore during the World Cup, and a large mural of Johnson behind the bar. It’s coated in flags, including a Phillies pride flag and an “everyone watches women’s sports” flag.
As women’s sports viewership has continued to grow, being able to watch those games at local bars has became much easier. But at Marsha’s, which takes over the space that was Woolly Mammoth until May, a variety including WNBA playoff games, NWSL matches, and Women’s Tennis Association tournaments will air live on their numerous TVs — without you having to ask.
During Wednesday’s preview, WNBA playoff games aired side-by-side with WTA matches — and, yes, you’ll still be able to watch the Eagles on Sundays.
“Now it’s more in the forefront, and it’s something regular bars are starting to put on themselves because they realize there’s an audience that they’ve been missing out on,” Anderson said. “Here at Marsha’s, there’s always going to be something on that’s highlighting professional athletes.”
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Until the Philadelphia WNBA team officially launches in 2030, the bar expects to be a home for fans of a number of WNBA teams, especially the New York Liberty, currently the geographically closest team. The bar has a few signature cocktails — including the Marsha-rita — and an extensive list of canned and draft beers, and a small food menu, featuring specialty hot dogs and cheesesteak pierogies.
The bar expects to be a home for Philly’s queer and sapphic communities, but Anderson wants it to be open to everyone who wants to have fun and enjoy women’s sports.
“It’s kind of like you’re going to your favorite aunt’s house to indulge in the things you know you’re not supposed to when you’re at home,” Anderson said. “A little bit of drinking, a little bit of good food, and being around people who want to have just as much fun as you do.”