Josh Pehlke works the bar at Signature Bar & Restaurant in Chicago. On the television in the background is Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx on Oct. 13, 2024.

Chicago restaurant owner Josh Pehlke remembers having to beg and plead at bars and restaurants to get them to show WNBA games just a few years ago. Too often, the answer was a flat-out no. These days, he doesn't have to worry as much.