The Los Angeles Chargers will host their second LGBT viewing party of the NFL season on Sunday at Roosterfish, an iconic gay bar in Venice, for the team’s 10 a.m. PST game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Gay Gridiron event, hosted by Venice Pride and Outsports, is part of an all-day beer bust that will continue until midnight. The Chargers-Jaguars game will kick off the day and the team will again hand out swag (autographed footballs were among items given away last time) and have the Chargers cheerleaders in attendance.
The first viewing party on Oct. 29 for a game against the Patriots was considered a success, said Kayce Brown, Venice Pride board member. Brown said about 30 people were in attendance for a game that came down to the final play of a 21-13 Patriots win.
The viewing parties are the start of a relationship that could result in the Chargers hosting a Pride event during the 2018 season.
Roosterfish is located at 1302 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in Venice. Roosterfish had shut down in 2016 but has recently reopened under new management. The Chargers are planning more viewing parties for future away games this season.
As for the game itself, the 3-5 Chargers are underdogs to the 5-3 Jaguars, one of the surprise teams in the league. The Jaguars have one of the top defenses in the league but have a shaky quarterback in Blake Bortles. The Chargers have won three of their last four games and are led by veteran QB Philip Rivers. One subplot is Chargers defensive coordinate Gus Bradley facing his old team. Bradley was the Jaguars head coach from 2013-16, going 14-48 before being fired.