Good morning and welcome to The Huddle for today, August 26, 2020. It’s Wednesday, and it’ll take you just 90-seconds to get plugged in.
Other than the WNBA, I’m not aware of any scheduled events today involving out LGBTQ athletes. If you know of one, or more, let me know by emailing me at [email protected]
Scroll down for today’s calendar of major sports events.
This Morning’s Sports Headlines:
All this week, Outsports is sharing stories of transgender women who are rugby athletes in stories, podcast episodes and on our social media platforms. Outsports supports International Gay Rugby’s rejection of a proposal to ban non-binary and transgender women athletes from competing in women’s rugby competitions.
Today, our Karleigh Webb profiles Grace McKenzie, a trans rugger from the San Francisco Bay Area, who launched a petition to generate opposition to the proposed trans ban. McKenzie also appears on today’s Outsports podcast. Scroll down for details!
Also this morning…
Speaking of Karleigh and our podcasts, she’s part of an upcoming all-star panel of transgender athletes who will be familiar to regular listeners of The Trans Sporter Room: CeCé Telfer, Dr. Juniper Simonis, Kirsti Miller and future guest Juniper Eastwood join Karleigh in a discussion of how we can dismantle the barriers trans athletes face today. As the Mercury News reported, queer Latinx director and arts advocate Tessa Corrie is hosting the event, part of the Co-Exist Play Festival, which will be streamed Saturday at 10 p.m. EDT. Tickets are pay what you can. Click here for details.
Our Brian Bell reports the LGBTQ-led Uncanny Attractions is coming to the popular streaming platform IWTV tonight, with a mix of pro wrestling and drag.
“Let me be perfectly queer:” Ohio University senior Kelsey Boeing penned a thoughtful op-ed about the Brennaman controversy for her student paper, The Post. The photojournalism major calls the suspended sports announcer “just the tip of the iceberg of homophobia in sports.”
Don’t miss: ESPN’s Katie Barnes takes a deep dive into the cult sports film that she’s seen more times than its director: “Bring It On.” “The entire film is an exploration of appropriation and the way whiteness works in our culture,” she writes. “It tackles race, gender and sexuality in stunning ways. Somehow within 98 minutes, queer politics gets addressed too. It’s a breakneck cultural mirror.”
And in other news…
If you haven’t looked at sports Twitter yet, it seems like there are only two stories everybody’s tweeting about: Lionel Messi reportedly choosing Manchester City after leaving Barcelona, as told by Bleacher Report. and White Sox ace Lucas Giolito going from worst to first in MLB with a no-fans no-hitter against the Pirates, as Ricky O’Donnell wrote in SB Nation.
But there is more, of course, like what James Dator of SB Nation called the dumbest play of the year during Tuesday’s Rockies Diamondbacks game. You gotta see this. Click here!
Sports Illustrated reports NBA players are considering a boycott following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by white police officers in Kenosha, Wisc. Blake is reportedly partially paralyzed and undergoing surgery overnight.
Christian Rivas of SB Nation tells us What it’s like to be a virtual fan in the NBA bubble.
OutShouts:
Out Paralympian Theresa Goh, a member of the Equality Coaching Alliance group on Facebook, is profiled in Lifestyle Asia: “We just need to constantly enable diversity of thought.” Thanks to UCLA Coach Kirk Walker for sharing!
If you’re an LGBTQ person in sports looking to connect with others in the community, head over to GO! Space to meet and interact with other LGBTQ athletes, or to Equality Coaching Alliance to find other coaches, administrators and other non-athletes in sports.
Highlights from Social Media:
The Republican National Convention is underway this week and pioneering trans athlete Chris Mosier is tweeting to counter what he’s hearing from the RNC:
This is no surprise. According to research from Media Matters, nearly 25% of all LGBTQ content from right-leaning sources was about transgender athletes specifically. Its nearly 21.21 million interactions made up nearly 33% of all Facebook engagement on top trans-related content.
— The Chris Mosier (@TheChrisMosier) August 26, 2020
Transgender girls are not “boys” who “put our little girls at risk.” Transgender girls are girls who were designated male at birth.
— The Chris Mosier (@TheChrisMosier) August 26, 2020
Trans girls are not a threat. They do not put other little girls at risk. They are students, athletes & above all, PEOPLE.
However you vote, just be sure to vote, tweets masked icon extraordinaire Billie Jean King.
70 days to go. 🗳#ElectionDay #YourVoteMatters pic.twitter.com/xYhbAi3nE9
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) August 26, 2020
Drew Collins update! If you enjoyed the Instagram post in yesterday’s Huddle from this Massachusetts runner, check out his newly shaved dome and his fashion forward hearts.
Podcast Du Jour
Nearly every day of the week, Outsports has a new podcast for your enjoyment. Today The Trans Sporter Room beams up Northern California rugger Grace McKenzie to talk about the proposed trans ban, her transition, the term “biological male” — she’s a biologist! — and her fandom.
All our podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and on every platform where you find Outsports!
Today’s Sports Calendar
WNBA in the wubble:
Washington Mystics vs. Atlanta Dream at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
Los Angeles Sparks vs. Minnesota Lynx at 8 p.m. EDT on CBSSN.
Connecticut Sun vs. Phoenix Mercury at 10 p.m. EDT on CBSSN.
NBA Playoffs in the bubble:
Orlando Magic vs. Milwaukee Bucks at 4 p.m. EDT on NBATV.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets at 6:30 p.m. EDT on TNT.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Lakers at 9 p.m. EDT on TNT.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs
New York Islanders vs. Philadelphia Flyers at 3 p.m. EDT on NBCSN.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Boston Bruins at 8 p.m. EDT on NBCSN.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars at 10:30 p.m. EDT on NBCSN.
MLB nationally-televised games
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals at 6:05 p.m. EDT on ESPN+.
New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves at 7:10 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants at 9:45 p.m. EDT on ESPN.
Tennis
Click here for Western & Southern Open results from Monday and schedule for today.
Soccer
And if you’re a soccer fan, check out ESPN’s schedule of matches by clicking here.
Share your thoughts in the comments below or email us at [email protected]
Thanks for reading all the way to the end. The next edition of The Huddle will appear tomorrow morning on Outsports.com Stay safe!
