A friend and I were talking and he is really interested in putting together a sports magazine that is more gay centered. Meaning, besides the professional sports it would focus more on the different amateur gay sports leagues that are out there and the people who play in them.

Would anyone be interested in seeing something like this (Monthly? Bi-monthly?)

What would you want to see in a sports magazine?

Thought this was the best place to get some opinions on this.

Very interesting idea--it works so well here at Outsports, or so I think, don't know if this site really makes any money, and that is the barometer for success of course, but the idea of a gay sports mag is interesting.

focusing, or with reports on local sporting events, rather than national events, as there are so few gay national events, seems interesting. Does the softball league for example have a publication? So many people participate in that one would expect their interest to be keen for some coverage, and thereby some support. and the tennis league. Oh and rugby of course.

and if you could find sponsors-well, there you have it. Would, do Nike, Reebok, adidas run ads in Genre or Out? Or is it all just alcohol ads?
Who sponsors Amelie Mauresmo?

That is what we were talking about mostly was ad sales/sponsorship and the level of interest in the community. I automatically thought it was a great idea, but then again I have been reading Outsports for as long as I can remember.

I love this idea!! There could be tons of stories about different sports (gay) guys, and the sports we/they love, and such. I say go for it!

Comrades:

Sorry to add a dissenting voice in this chorus of support!

Running a gay magazine is very risky - especially on a national level. I remember HERO magazine, which was a wonderful gay magazine with great pictures and interesting stories. For two years it was a much better alternative than the Advocate magazine, and it had many advertisements from Fortune 500 companies.

Yet HERO magazine lasted only two years or three years.

I strongly suggest that your friend start with a monthly column in the Advocate magazine - focused upon gay sports. When the monthly column runs for several years, it should get a lot of stories. Stories and pictures are the most important reasons for a magazine (not the ads themselves!).

When the monthly column becomes successful and popular, it can develop into a separate magazine by itself. That will provide a strong foundation for long-term success.

I am not fond of the Advocate magazine, but it is a news magazine. It is a better forum for gay sports than OUT magazine or Instinct magazine. The other two magazines have better pictures, but much worse news and stories.

Mikestead (who happens to be an editor of a small statewide newsletter!)

Thanks for the opinions.
Sad to say I hate waiting months for a single, usually uninteresting story in the Advocate, Out or any of the major gay mags. Except of course if it mentions Cyd/Jim or the Outsports site.

It would of course start small. Definitely no bigger than the Out or Next here in NYC.
Still in the early phases, was really gauging interest in such an endeavor.

I can certainly see what you are saying about upstarts and keeping them running. I just like the thought of getting the gay sports image out there.

So many people on here don't even know where to go for a something local. This would be a great way to help with such things.

Sorry, that should have been the HX or Next here in NYC.

Not Out Magazine.

I, too, have thought about how one could do a gay sports magazine.
I work in the print medium anyhow.
However, my idea was more for a national mag with sports tinted highly on the metrosexual/gay side.

Writing strictly about local gay sports - that's a newsletter, not a magazine.

I'd rather take major athletes and major stories, but present them with a different light.
(That's right, more Andy Roddick and Landon Donovan shirtless features).

Anyhow, I once mentioned my idea to some friends. I joked that it was a great idea until you realize I'd only find three subscribers.

A few years ago there was a mag called Urban **** something or other. It was a sports mag that was geared to the gay audience. It was an excellent mag, didn't pander at all with good articles. Stuff for guys and girls. It only lasted for about 7 months. I still have old copies at home. Now that I think about it it was called Urban Fitness. Really sad to see it go. I would totally support another mag like that one.

I agree with mikestead: Start with a column and build interest. Actually, start with a series of features and see if you can build them into a column.

Apologies in advance if this is redundant, but Jim Provenzano has a column that runs in selected local gay papers (I happened to see it in Baltimore's paper while visiting there, even though he's based in SF, I think). Many of the columns are archived here (including the one I read, about water polo).

[ August 09, 2004, 05:15 PM: Message edited by: danimal ]

Comrades:

Let me make another suggestion about the gay sports magazine.

Be sure to get Jim and Cyd involved! Their experience with Outsports would be valuable, and they would save you a lot of trouble at the beginning!

Let's dedicate the first year of the new gay sports magazine to Jim and Cyd! They deserve recognition for their ground-breaking efforts to establish gay sports in any media format!

Mikestead

Oh without a doubt he/we would be going to the people in the gay sports industry for knowledge and advice, if not just for articles and ideas.

I think I do remember Urban Fitness, I think I used to get it also. Magazines come and go so fast.

The magazine wouldn't just be about local sports but for those who play in local sports leagues it is a good way to learn about others and tournaments and so forth. Also for sports fans who don't know where to go for such things.

I play volleyball and you would be amazed that when you go to an out of town tournament none of the locals have any idea about what was going on until it is too late.

Would want to put that in there also. Plus of course the big sports personalities, gay and str8. Yes, there are some gay ones that are in sports other than football and baseball. We see that on the board and on Outsports.

I thank everyone for their words and hope they continue.

Chris

I hate to be a dissenter as well, but the one reason I don't like most gay magazines anyway is that if I picked up a Sports Magazine, I'd want it to be about sports. When you see gay magazines out, they are more interested in the "who's gay now", who looks hot this week, and all the sauna ads. If I wanted that, I'd read Out! or some of the others. What would make me read this type of magazine an interesting read is if it had gay articles but anyone could still read it and feel that the magazine was still about sports, not just gays and sports. I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but I need more information than just my gay bubble world.

Interesting idea - and one worth following through

I guess its going to be dependent on what you aim to do.

There are now certainly enough gay events to allow of steady stream of community news (gay ski week here, rugby tournament there, ice hockey event elsewhere and so on). From experience there is little wider-co-ordination of events, and no central events calander.

These sort of things perhaps need to be covered, but how? Newsletter format? Web publishing?

The thing that would 'sell' i assume are the interest and sports stories. And yes this would include boys with little on. (my preferece here would be Daniel Carter http://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_national_story...0%3fformat=html
and
http://www.crfu.co.nz/crusaders/index.cfm/...m/4,440,72,html )

And the thing that makes money is of course a balance of subs and adverts....

All tricky balancing acts

Look forward to progressing this idea. Am sure we could sort out suitable 'southern' comment

catch ya

e