OL Reign Legend: Jen Barnes – CEO and Founder of Rough & Tumble

The Legends Campaign, a partnership between OL Reign and Starbucks, honors women for their extraordinary contributions to our community in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Prior to OL Reign’s home opener against San Diego Wave FC on April 15th, OL Reign recognized Jen Barnes, the founder and CEO of Rough & Tumble Pub in Ballard.

Barnes, a lifelong sports fan and advocate for gender equity, is no stranger to the OL Reign community. As the founder of Seattle’s first women’s sports bar, Barnes is engrained into the community, but her dedication to the team stems beyond that. In fact, it was OL Reign that pushed Barnes to truly consider opening Rough & Tumble.

In 2021, OL Reign hosted an NWSL semifinal match at their then home in Tacoma (since 2021, OL Reign calls Lumen Field in Seattle their home pitch). Not only was it a key match because the Reign had not hosted a semifinal in years, but also because they had earned their spot in the match after a seemingly impossible comeback season. As a dedicated fan of the team, Barnes planned to watch the match at a local sports bar, surrounded by other fans. The problem? She couldn’t find a bar that would play the match.

“That was really the lightbulb moment for me. Rough & Tumble’s existence is completely tied to the Reign. It was their playoff game in 2021, a Sunday afternoon.  I remember waking up just so excited. In my head, it didn’t even occur to me that that game wouldn’t be played by our local soccer pubs. I called around to confirm it was being played and mostly had resounding no’s. There was one that even asked me who the team was and then said “um, yeah, no”. It made me so angry,” shared Barnes.

“I couldn’t believe that we have this incredible team of world class players, we’re in the playoffs, and no one was playing it. I was livid at the inequity and just bummed that I’d have to watch the game from home without the vibe of other fans around me.  My partner was like “why don’t you just open a place yourself and fix the problem.” That was the lightbulb moment and how Rough & Tumble came to be.”

The driving force behind all of Barnes’s work is simple – she’s an unrelenting advocate for gender equity, women athletes, and women’s sports. A natural leader, she has experience in many fields, including HR, marketing, operations and finance. Her impressive resume, along with the support of the community has spurred the success of Rough & Tumble. With particular support from the Seattle Storm, OL Reign, and Washington’s collegiate teams, Rough & Tumble has truly become the women’s sports hub in Seattle.

“The thing that I am most passionate about is gender equity. We have a lot of work to do in the sports industry to get anywhere near equal play time when just 3% of sports programming is dedicated to women and 97% of the schedule is programmed with men’s sports. Moreover, women athletes receive less than 1% of the $78 billion dollars spent on sports sponsorships. Both of those numbers are stunning. Not being able to simply turn on your television and see women’s sports coverage at the same rate as men’s has profound consequences for women athletes and women’s sports. Rough & Tumble is a key part of changing those numbers as we play both equally. For me, Rough & Tumble is a wonderful blend of my passion for watching women’s sports and gender equity (and good food and beer.)”

As a leader in our community when it comes to the investment in women’s sports, Barnes has some advice to share with young women who are beginning their own career journeys.

“Follow your gut instinct, and I really do mean that,” said Barnes. “If you don’t think you’re   receiving the level of support that you believe or know that you deserve, find something else. There are many jobs, industry sectors, and people who will give you the support you deserve.”

Beyond that, Barnes shared the importance of finding something that you are truly passionate about.

“Follow your instinct about the things that you love. It may sound overused but, going into a field or an industry sector that you enjoy—that you are passionate about, no matter what it is—will allow you to be your best self and you will excel and advance in your career in ways that you wouldn’t otherwise.”

In her own experience, Barnes has valued the support of other women, noting that it’s essential to find women that believe in you, will support you and your passion and, in turn, it’s important to do the same to truly build a network of support.

“Don’t be shy. Ask women for support. It’s really easy for women, in particular, to feel that imposter syndrome. I do and so does every single woman you look up to. Just start the conversation. Most women I know, regardless of where they’re at in their careers, love being asked for advice and love paying it forward by elevating and supporting other women in any way possible. Get as many women behind you and beside you as you can.”

As someone who is so prominent in OL Reign’s community, it was a very special moment for the club, community, and Barnes herself to be honored on the pitch at Lumen Field.

“From the front office, to the players, to the fans, OL Reign is an organization that I love and respect and one that has been central to the success of Rough & Tumble. I don’t think there’s a distinction that I could feel more honored to receive. It makes it feel like what I’m doing matters to this core group of people and I am so grateful.”

Rough & Tumble and Barnes serve as an excellent example of how important it is to invest in women’s sports. Going further than a simple love for women’s sports, Barnes and Rough & Tumble embody a larger movement.

“Women’s sports aren’t a nonprofit organization. They are a smart investment. When people ask me what they can do to support women’s sports, I give the same answer every time: spend your money on women’s sports and women athletes. Buy tickets, become a Season Ticket Member. When you are looking for that happy hour meetup or dinner head to Rough & Tumble. Buy brands that support women athletes. When it comes down to it, it’s essential that we work together to continue moving the needle on data points, our collective spend, our time spent watching women’s sports, and our social media reach are the critical data points being tracked and they matter.  a Every single dollar that you can spend is an investment in women’s sports, and ultimately, in equal pay and equal play. Go to every Reign home game, buy merch, watch the away games at R&T, follow the players on social media, all of it matters.”

Barnes concluded with a call to action for OL Reign fans and the surrounding community.

“It's so important that every single person who’s an advocate for women’s sports understands that this is, for now, a movement—one that we are all a part of. Invite your friends and family to join you. Take them to a Reign game, even if they say they don’t understand soccer. It’s an electric vibe when you’re surrounded by thousands of people cheering on world class athletes right here at home and I guarantee they’ll return for another one. Being a fan of women’s sports feels like a lot more than just being a sports fan, because it IS so much more. It’s about working together to elevate gender equity and equality—and you get to have a lot of fun in the process.”