Month: September 2009

As the NFL season approaches its 2009 kickoff, one of the teams I’m most curious about is the San Diego Chargers. By all accounts, they are the prohibitive favorite to run away with the AFC West crown, and they are one of a half dozen teams called a “favorite” to win the Super Bowl. But […]

How far will some athletes go to succeed in their sport? Pretty far. For boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, drinking his own urine has become part of his training routine. HBO is documenting his training on film as he prepares for the biggest fight of his career, on Sept. 19 against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Will it […]

Rafael Nadal took a big step toward a career Grand Slam, beating Gael Monfils in four sets to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals. But it was a male fan who took a big step toward Nadal. Shirtless after his victory, Nadal was exiting the court when a fan chased after him, trying to kiss the […]

When Johnny Weir’s manager called me a couple weeks ago to see how we could work together, the first thing that popped into my mind is: don’t ask him, “Are you gay?” I’ve written several times in the past that I think Johnny (right, with his mom) has already answered that question and it isn’t […]

In Part 2, Johnny talks about people asking if he’s gay, sequins, crazy fans and his documentary film By Cyd Zeigler jr. In the first part of our interview with Johnny Weir, the Olympic figure skater talked at length about his sport and his upcoming Stars, Stripes and Skates event. But you can’t escape an […]

As usual, we like the Patriots and the Colts Welcome to our annual NFL season preview picks. We know we sound like a broken record, with Cyd picking New England and Jim Indianapolis, but it's hard not to. These are the two winningest franchises this decade and are always in the title hunt. For once, […]

Sam Bradford Well, that was sure a fun 2009 college football season for the Oklahoma Sooners. One and done. The Sooners, who eight months ago played for the BCS title, almost certainly saw any chance of a repeat visit vanish after losing to BYU, 14-13, in their opener, More importantly, they lost Heisman-winning quarterback Sam […]

It's one of those moments when a champion racehorse becomes a symbol for human aspirations. This year, so many outstanding fillies are out there — including the remarkable Zenyatta — that touts are calling it "the year of girl power." But it's 3-year-old Rachel Alexandra that has women and girls flooding to the tracks to […]

I know you've all been waiting for a Twitter update from a sports figure. Since I haven't been doing this on a weekly basis I'm not sure I should keep calling it "Sports Tweet of the Week," but if anyone wants to send me links to interesting Twitter pages — or if Jim or Cyd […]

Editor's note: Mark Ertel will be writing daily updates from the Gay Softball World Series this week. Championship Saturday has arrived at the NAGAAA Softball World Series, an anxious night awaits A, B, C, and D division teams still standing after the grueling demands of the week long tournament. Full coverage of all championship games […]

As usual, the U.S. Open’s first round played out mostly by the chalk. Enter 17-year-old American Melanie Oudin, ranked No. 70 in the world, who ousted No. 4 Elena Dementieva, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round Thursday in the biggest upset of this year’s final Grand Slam. On the men’s side, American Sam Querrey, […]

Blount being restrained. How boring was Boise State's 19-8 sloppy win over Oregon in the college football opener? The lasting impression will be Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount punching Boise State's Byron Hout after the game. It was a shocking display of a player who seemed to have gone nuts and will lead to at […]

Few athletes like to get naked more than rugby players; And no ruggers enjoy it more than Frenchman Geoffroy Messina. The 27-year-old has appeared in the black & white Dieux du Stade several times. On Facebook, you can become a friend of Geoffroy or just remain a fan. More pics after the jump. Few athletes […]

That wacky “guys’-guy” Brad Gilbert has done it again. The tennis legend-in-his-own-mind had this to say about Juan Martin Del Potro’s seemingly masculine all-black outfit at the U.S. Open: I'm giving a big thumbs-up to Del Potro's all-black gear. It looks physical, he's stepping up. They had him in too much of a fruity-looking outfit […]

Outsports has been hearing regular updates from the Gay Polo League, recently formed in the Los Angeles area and rolling forward to exciting success — new members, new opportunities to play with non-gay teams. Key to their success is a solid relationship with the California Polo Club, which runs a polo school and supports the […]

The Gay Softball World Series is underway in Milwaukee (see our blog posts here), and Ross Forman is shooting the event for us. We will be posting an extensive photo gallery in the days ahead, but here are a few shots to give you a taste of the athmosphere: The Gay Softball World Series is […]

Editor's note: Mark Ertel will be writing daily updates from the Gay Softball World Series this week. Wednesday night's talent show was a monumental success, with over 14,000 dollars being raised for several local Aids Service Organizations. The show was hilarious with a good mix of comedic drag routines along with some outstanding vocal performances […]

In Part 1, Johnny talks about Evan Lysacek, butching up ‘his sport’ and his upcoming Stars, Stripes and Skates event By Cyd Zeigler jr. Johnny Weir is one of the most recognizable faces in figure skating. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, the brash athlete became a media darling for his unbridled emotion and his unfettered […]

Kim Clijsters is playing in her first U.S. Open since winning the tournament in 2005, and the rest of the field should be concerned. She took two years off from the pro tennis tour, but since returning has taken out several top-20 players; And in her U.S. Open return, she pummelled 79th-ranked Viktoriya Kutuzova, 6-1, […]

I don’t know how we missed this one, but thanks to Ted Rybka at GLAAD for pointing it out, via the Baltimore Sun! This past April, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo (he of the nipple ring) wrote an op-ed piece at the Huffington Post in support of same-sex marriage: If Britney Spears can party it […]