The Dallas Wings just selected Azzi Fudd with the first pick of the WNBA Draft. Fudd will reunite with her former UConn teammate, Paige Bueckers, as they hope to lead the Wings back into playoff contention.
While the Wings should be an exciting team to follow, they’re far from the only game in town. Women’s sports are thriving across the state of Texas. Here’s how to support them.
Where to watch women’s sports in Texas
Texas is home to a pair of dedicated women’s sports bars, as well as another that routinely hosts watch parties. Show them some love while checking out the action on the court or field.
1972 Pub (Austin)
Location: 2530 Guadalupe St, Austin, TX 78705
Austin’s first bar dedicated to women’s and gender-expansive sports gets its name from the year Title IX was signed into law. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education or federally funded government schools, which sets the stage for an inclusive environment.
The decor of 1972 Pub is an excellent collection of women’s sports memorabilia. You’ll find pieces of equipment, magazines with impressive cover athletes, walls and tables designed like basketball courts, and an overall inspiring atmosphere. The food and drink options are top-notch, too. All of the flatbreads are a solid choice, and the 1972 Burger is one of the best in town. The cocktails are photogenic, as well, with the ‘72 Punch and Billie Jean offering just the right amount of sweetness. And, like any good athlete should, 1972 Pub lifts up those around them, donating 10% of profits to Austin nonprofits supporting girls and gender-expansive youth sports.
As for watching, 1972 Pub has tons of TVs playing live games and airing reruns of classic matches. In true welcoming fashion, they’ll even air broadcasts that feature a Texas team losing. During my first visit, I watched Nebraska defeat Texas in volleyball during the Big 12 championship. Of course, both teams are now in different conferences, so this was truly a magical moment from the past.
Side Peace (Houston)
4218 Washington Ave, Houston, TX 77007
Right next door to Pearl’s, Side Peace is a fine spot to catch a game. However, you may find yourself participating in one of the bar’s many themed nights, such as karaoke, Lesbian Latin Night, R&B Night, or Drag Bingo. It’s a grand time either way.
From the sports perspective, Side Peace often hosts watch parties for various women’s sports, like the NCAA Tournament or a softball series. There are several TVs to make sure you don’t miss a moment, and the bartenders are quite skilled at making cocktails. Plus, they have terrific recommendations if you’re not sure what to order.
Sue Ellen’s (Dallas)
3911 Cedar Springs Rd, Ste #B, Dallas, TX 75219
The oldest lesbian bar in Texas has been supporting the LGBTQIA+ community since 1989. More recently, Sue Ellen’s has also become the top Dallas hotspot for watching women’s sports.
Most notably, the bar hosts watch parties for every Dallas Wings WNBA game. The team should be much improved over last season, so it’s definitely worth stopping by. Even when the Wings aren’t playing, Sue Ellen’s has a robust mix of events. Check out Mustache Envy, The Queer Off, or Thursday karaoke nights.
If watching sports isn’t enough for you, Sue Ellen’s has pool tables and basketball hoops on the ground floor. Nothing like nailing a few perfect swishes and talking trash to your friends.
Watch live women’s sports in Texas
Watching women’s sports on TV at home or a bar is plenty of fun, but attending a game or match live is a completely different experience. Luckily, Texas has no shortage of professional, semi-pro, and collegiate teams to support.
Professional & semi-pro sports teams
The Dallas Wings are the lone Texas representative in the WNBA—for now, at least. The league has plans to revive the Houston Comets, one of the original WNBA teams, for the 2027 season. We love a good intra-state rivalry, so this is an especially exciting development.
For international football (a.k.a soccer) fans, there are plenty of options around the state. The Houston Dash is one of the longest-running clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), having won the 2020 Challenge Cup. Across the state, Dallas Trinity FC reached the USL Super League semifinals in the league’s first season last year—and they have an excellent brand. The Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL) consists of several Texas teams, including the Lone Star Conference: Austin Rise FC, FC Dallas Women, Fort Worth Vaqueras FC, Southstar FC (another Fort Worth club), and Texas Lone Star S.C., which will play in Dallas. Texas WPSL Division II teams also get their own conference, including Fierce United (Austin), Fever United (Keller), Lady Dragons (San Antonio), NTX Celtic FC (Denton), SA City Soccer Club (San Antonio), and Simply Futbol SC (Allen).
Should you prefer American football, the Texas Elite Spartans participate in the Women’s National Football Conference and have dominated the competition. Since their launch in 2018, the Spartans have won five league championships, including five undefeated seasons. In the Women’s Football Alliance, the Houston Energy has earned four national titles and supports the community through outreach programs and volunteer initiatives. The Austin Outlaws have also been in the WFA since 2001, winning one championship and three division titles.
The Austin Torch is a founding member of the Premier Ultimate League, with a roster of players from across Texas. Living up to its motto of “It’s Lit,” the team hosts fun community events, like BYO items for screen printing, alumni nights, and post-game hangouts at local spots. In the League One Volleyball league, LOVB Houston recently finished in first place during the regular season before reaching the semifinals of the playoffs. Another Texas squad, LOVB Austin, ultimately won the title (in dramatic comeback fashion), the team’s second in a row.
The Lone Star State’s collection of teams is growing, too. This year marks the inaugural season for the Dallas Pulse of Major League Volleyball. The Pulse, which plays in Frisco, earned a postseason bid in their first year of existence. Texas Lone Star S.C. and the Lady Dragons in San Antonio are new additions to the WPSL.
If you’d rather watch individual events, the ATX Open is the only women’s tour-level tennis tournament in the state and the largest women’s professional sporting event in Austin. This year’s winner was Peyton Stearns, a former Texas Longhorn. Additionally, the LPGA Tour hosts multiple events across Texas, including the Chevron Championship in The Woodlands and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Frisco.
Collegiate teams
There are 234 colleges and universities in Texas that are under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Covering all of them would turn this into a very long read, so let’s just look at some of the highlights.
The Lone Star State had five teams reach the women’s basketball NCAA Tournament this year. All five of these schools—Texas, TCU, Texas Tech, Baylor, and Stephen F. Austin—made it the prior year, too.
Texas had strong control of softball last year. The Longhorns defeated Texas Tech to win the school’s first-ever championship. The Longhorns and Lady Raiders finished first and second in the final standings for the 2025 season. Both schools are top 10 programs this year, continuing their elite play.
If you’re craving history, Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, was founded in 1840 and is the state’s oldest post-secondary institution. The women’s golf team won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship in 2019 with a whopping 46-shot victory. The volleyball and soccer teams are also regular participants in the tournament.
Prefer attending a game based on size? Texas A&M is the biggest school in Texas, with an enrollment of over 77,000 students. The softball team has been near or in the top 10 for much of this season and was ranked No. 1 for part of last year. The women’s basketball team also won the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and the school’s equestrian and outdoor track and field teams are consistently strong performers. The Aggies are celebrating 150 years of being a school this year, and the university will host the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship beginning on July 23.
For a smaller outing, the SouthWest College for the Deaf in Big Spring, a part of Howard College, is the country’s only self-contained community college educational environment that caters to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Enrollment is fewer than 100, but it still hosts mighty women’s basketball and volleyball teams.
You can find more information and tickets at any of the college’s websites. Support a local university by attending a game. It’s one of the many ways you can help women’s sports grow across the Lone Star State.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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