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'The Outsports Revolution'
is here
Early review calls it 'great, a terrific
read and an important source book'
By
Cyd Zeigler & Jim Buzinski
Outsports.com
Buy 'The Outsports Revolution' here for under $14
Discuss 'The Outsports Revolution'
It's been
almost two years in the making, and we are proud to
finally announce the release of our first book, "The Outsports Revolution: Truth and Myth in the World of Gay Sports ."
The book
was written to be both engaging and informative to people,
whether they read Outsports.com every day or have never
visited the website. Early response tells us we hit the
target. Robert Lipsyte, a longtime sports columnist with the
New York Times and author of young adult novels,
calls "'The Outsports Revolution" "great, a terrific read AND
an important source book."
The
Foreword was written by New York Daily News sports
reporter Michael O'Keeffe. We chose O'Keeffe because of all
the straight sports reporters we have worked with over the
seven years Outsports has been publishing, O'Keeffe has been one
of the most inquisitive, most supportive, and most open to
reporting fairly and accurately issues surrounding gay
athletes. He told us he was honored to write the foreword,
and he did a great job.
The book
chronicles the changing face of gay sports and how it
parallels the growth of Outsports. We tackled some of the
hottest topics facing gay athletes today, and we engaged
some fun, sexy topics too. We interviewed many people for
the book and focused on bringing forth new information and
perspectives. Former Out magazine editor Brendan
Lemon shares some great insights into the world of gay and
bisexual professional athletes. A closeted professional
athlete challenges Outsports for showing photos of athletes
in skimpy swimsuits. Outsports member and Phillies Gay
Community Day founder Larry Felzer offers some great
thoughts about gay days. And as Itay Hod of CBS News on
Logo told us, the eight-page glossy photo section in the
book in simply "hot."
As for how
we chose whose name went first, even that had a sports bent:
Cyd is a New England Patriots fan, and Jim loves the
Indianapolis Colts. They played Nov. 5, 2006, and it was
agreed that the author's winning team would see his name
listed first. Final score: Colts/Jim 27, Patriots/Cyd 20.
Along with
what we think are 10 of the most important articles we ever ran on the
website, the table of contents gives a good indication of
the topics tackled in the book:
Foreword
Introduction: The Revolution Begins
PART I: THE
PLACE OF GAY SPORTS IN SOCIETY
1. Why
Should I Give a Damn about Sports?
2. A Brief History of Gays in Sports
3. It's Not a Gay Thing, it's a Guy Thing
4. The Media's Fumbling of Gay Sports
5. Outsports Guide to Entertainment
6. Queer Eye for the Sports Guy
7. The Flattering Posers
8. The Rumor Mill
PART II:
ELITE ATHLETES AND BIG-TIME SPORTS
9. The Wave
of Out Young Jocks
10. In the Locker Room: Our Fantasies and Reality
11. Trannies on a Tee
12. The Good Guys and the Bad Guys
13. When You're Ready to Come Out
14. Outsports' Guide to Throwing a Gay Super Bowl Party
15. Fantasy Football
PART III:
GETTING IN THE GAME
16. The
Curse of the High School Gym Class
17. The Rise of the Gay Days
18. So You Want to Start a Gay Sports Group
19. "I'm Dating a Guy Who's Into Sports . . . Help!"
20. The Gay Games, Outgames and Beyond
21. The Gay Sports Circuit
Conclusion:
Outsports Looks Foreward
Sports Glossary for Gays and Lesbians
We hope
everyone will buy a copy of the book for themselves, their
friends, or any doubting co-workers or family members who
still might not understand how gay men and lesbians interact
with sports. They will all find the book hard to put down.
Coming later this week: An excerpt from 'The Outsports
Revolution'
Buy 'The Outsports Revolution' on Amazon.com now!
Discuss 'The Outsports Revolution'
From
Alyson Books' release about the book:
Outsports.com
has been called "ESPN for homos" and receives over two
million hits per month. Now, the founders of this
groundbreaking website offer an in-depth and entertaining
compendium on the issues surrounding gays and lesbians in
the sporting world.
The Outsports
Revolution chronicles the
development and rise of the Outsports.com brand and outlines
its impact on the world of gay sports. Through more than
twenty-five chapters, the book introduces you to both famous
out athletes along with the unsung, unknown trailblazers who
have helped others come out. With points of view from such
figures as the MLB's Billy Bean, the NFL's Esera Tuaolo, and
Greg Louganis-as well as Molly Lenore, an athlete who transitioned to a woman and now plays
gay flag football; Brian Fell, a two-time NCAA track and
field star; and sports professional Larry Felzer, who
organized Gay Community Night for the Philadelphia Phillies-this
guide chronicles all the issues on this hotly debated
subject. Learn about athletes who have come out of the
closet and of the impact their revelation has had on their
particular sport, the proliferation of gay sporting leagues
throughout the country, the myth about why gay men can't
play sports, and many other subjects.
Cyd Zeigler
and Jim Buzinski
co-founded Outsports.com in 2000. Together
they have appeared on numerous television programs,
including ESPN, Fox Sports, and CNN. They have been profiled
in hundreds of magazines and newspapers, including The
Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times,
and Sports Illustrated.
July 9, 2007 |
