On a classically rainy Friday night in January, Laura Harvey, Tziarra King, and Jess Fishlock are among those at the recently opened Rough & Tumble. They are enjoying the Australian A-League Women’s matchup being shown on several of the 18 screens. In just a couple of months, Seattle residents and visitors will be able to go to Rough & Tumble to watch Fishlock and King compete for OL Reign, led by Harvey. They can also take a photo with a cardboard cutout featuring Reign originals Fishlock, Lauren Barnes, and Megan Rapinoe.
Many people may have seen Rough & Tumble in the news as Washington’s first women’s sports bar and the second worldwide. While that is true, it is also intentionally much more than that. It is a home for everyone, from the diehard Reign fan, to the casual Seahawks watcher, to members of the LGBTQ+ community, to the family on its way back from soccer practice.