Until the fourth quarter on Wednesday night, when it became clear the New York Liberty would be crushed by the Phoenix Mercury, the energy in Wilka's, New York City's first women's sports bar, was joyful.
Wilka's had a soft opening two weeks ago. On Wednesday, it was pretty much standing room only during game two of the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Liberty fans crammed the long tables and booths, munching on popcorn and focaccia sandwiches, cheering at every point scored, until the whoops shifted into exasperated shouts of "come on" by fans holding their heads in their hands.
The scene was like any sports bar on the night of a rough game, except the crowd was 95 percent women.
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