With Steven Alix’s success in founding two staples of Denver’s LGBTQ+ nightlife—X Bar and the Squire Lounge—his passion for sports led him to open the city’s only gay sports bar, Tight End.
“I’m a super huge Green Bay Packer football fan,” says Steven. “And I just always thought the name Tight End would be super funny for a gay sports bar. And then I realized that every big city in the U.S. has a gay sports bar except Denver, which is such a huge sports city, state, right? And so it seemed like a no-brainer.”
Opened in 2021, Tight End has been the home for gay fans to watch their favorite sporting events, ranging from the Super Bowl to the Final Four. Steven believes even though there are gay-friendly bars within Denver, Tight End is a place where people can be their authentic selves while cheering on their favorite team.
“This is a place where you can meet somebody and be fully gay or whatever that means while you’re watching a sport,” says Steven. “So people are just so comfortable that they’re bringing all of their teams, like Kansas City. We have a huge Kansas City following just because it’s close, and a lot of people are here because of that. … San Francisco, we have a pretty big draw. What surprises me, these people from everywhere are constantly (commenting) that they want to watch it here because they feel like it’s the first time they felt safe.”
The effort to show a wide range of local and national sporting events comes with ongoing challenges, including disputes between networks and cable companies. Steven also said that despite paying high fees to broadcast games, restrictions imposed by cable providers limit what bars like his can show.
“I spend probably almost $2,000 a month just to get all of the stations to play all the games,” says Steven. “And I still can’t necessarily play all the games all the time. So it’s really frustrating with the networks and the leagues and stuff, how they sort of limit bars should be a lot easier for us to, you know, show those games, which include the commercials which they get paid for.”
He explains how the fans sometimes get frustrated due to not being able to see their preferred sporting events, due to circumstances out of the venue’s control.
“It is a bummer, especially because they take it out on us,” says Steven. “They think it’s our fault. And gosh, we pay so much money, and we work so hard to make sure every game is available.”
Another challenge that the Tight End is encountering is the construction on Colfax Avenue, which is leaving parts of the street with concrete barriers and half a road, according to FOX31. The city of Denver says construction will last until 2027, and for Alix, it has been a hurdle for the bar to overcome in attracting customers.
“… A year and a half ago-ish, they replaced the lead water lines under Colfax, and that was supposed to be a short thing; then they found an extra problem right in front of Tight End, so it ended up taking a much longer time, and so that really sucked.”
As a result, Tight End has created various non-sports events, including karaoke on Wednesday nights, 80’s night dance parties, poker nights, and other events.
“So we’re trying to kind of come up with more things like that to get people involved and back into the venue to make it their home bar again,” says Steven.
Tight End is in full gear, showing college and NFL games and preparing to be a hub for the upcoming NBA and NHL seasons. The bar has partnered with Avalanche of Pride, an open group for LGBTQ+ Colorado Avalanche and hockey fans—as well as allies—in Denver, the metro area, and across Colorado.
Photos by Noah Hartman
