Oakland Is Getting Its First Women’s Sports Bar.

Hysteria Sports Bar is a bar and restaurant where the women's games are always on, the food is worth the trip, the drinks are thoughtful, and every fan belongs. We're building it in Oakland because this city is ready for it.

We're raising $500,000 to open our doors. We're calling our supporters the Starting Squad, and we want you on the roster.

The Fans Are Showing Up. The Venues Haven't Caught Up.

Women's sports are having a breakthrough moment. The 2024 NCAA women's basketball championship drew 8 million viewers, surpassing the men's final. The Golden State Valkyries set the all-time WNBA season attendance record with 397, 408 fans. Bay FC drew over 40,000 fans to a single match at Oracle Park. The global women's sports industry surpassed 2.3 billion in 2025.

But watching women's sports is still unnecessarily hard. Games are scattered across expensive streaming services and lesser-known channels. Traditional sports bars rarely put women's games on main screens. Fans are left negotiating with bartenders or watching alone at home.

We've lived this frustration ourselves. We've borrowed passwords, hunted for streams, and begged bars to change the channel. It shouldn't be this challenging.

Hysteria Changes That.

Hysteria Sports Bar will be a welcoming space with multiple screens dedicated to women's sports: basketball, soccer, tennis, baseball, football, volleyball, rugby, ultimate frisbee, hockey, softball, international leagues and matches in Spanish. No asking. No negotiating. Women's games are always the main event.

Our food program is led by Mayra Velazquez, founder of Xingones Cantina in Jack London Square, bringing Oakland style Mexican cuisine to a menu built specifically for Hysteria. Our beverage program features women-made spirits, signature cocktails named after trailblazing athletes, curated flights, rotating beer and wine, and a full non-alcoholic menu.

Beyond the screens, we're building community programming designed by Audacious Wilson: trivia nights, documentary screenings and discussions, organized outings to local professional games, and partnerships with women-owned businesses and girls' sporting leagues.

Why Oakland

Oakland was named #1 culinary city in the United States in both 2024 and 2025! It's home to passionate fan bases for Golden State Valkyries, Bay FC, UC Berkeley athletics, Oakland Soul, Golden State Storm and more! The median age is 38. The median household income is $97,369. No women's sports bar exists here yet.

We are Oakland residents. We work in and for the Town. We play soccer here, eat here, watch games here, and raise community here. Hysteria isn't parachuting in. It's homegrown.

The HSB Dream Team

Erin Waddell, 'The Emotional Engine' (co-founder): Oakland educator, season ticket holder to Bay FC, Golden State Valkyries, and Oakland Soul. Background in teaching and leadership, budget management, and team building. Past roles include nonprofit director, classroom teacher, instructional coach, barista, server and baker.

Meadow Holmes, 'The Artistic Eye' (co-founder): Lifelong athlete who runs operations and production at KTOP-TV by day and manages multiple Bay Area women's soccer teams by night. Past roles include video editor, hostess, server, and brewery bartender.

Mayra Velazquez, 'The Hospitality Badass' (co-owner): Queer Latina immigrant from Jalisco, Mexico. Founder of Xingones Cantina (est. 2016) in Jack London Square. Trained at Laney College's Culinary Arts program. Leading Hysteria's food program.

Audacious Wilson, 'The Community Currator' (co-owner): Poet, educator, and community organizer. Founder of People's Watch Party and Watch Her Ball. Born and raised in the Delta. Designing Hysteria's community programming.

We are also supported by an advisory board of hospitality industry professionals, including restaurant owners, brewery operators, and bar managers from across the Bay Area.

Join the Starting Squad

We are raising $500,000 to help towards startup costs.

The founders have contributed $50,000 of their own money. Every donation, at any level, helps us get closer to opening day.

Here's how you can get on the roster:

What Your Donation Makes Possible

Your donation helps bring women's sports to the center of Oakland's social life. It creates a space where young fans see women athletes celebrated on the big screen. It builds a gathering place where strangers become friends. It supports women-owned businesses behind the bar and in the kitchen. And it adds Oakland's name to a growing national movement of women's sports bars.

Raising Spirits For Women's Sports

Last year we hosted 15 watch parties across Oakland. We're collaborating with Bay FC, Bay FC Bridge Brigade, Cal Women's Basketball, People's Watch Party, ValQueeries, Gay & Lesbian Tennis Federation, American Outlaws Oakland, Golden State Storm, Falcons Ultimate, Bay Breakers and more. We have 1000+ Instagram followers and 370 Newsletter subscribers, and we haven't even opened our doors yet.

The community is ready. The demand is here. We just need the space. Help us build it.

Join the Starting Squad today.

Hysteria Sports Bar - Join the Starting Squad!

Raising Spirits for Women's Sports