Month: May 2011

In the distractions of the holiday weekend, I totally missed this Q&A in the weekend New York Times, where Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash discussed, among other things, gays in the sport. Here is one answer that caught my eye: Q. Is the N.B.A. ready for an openly gay player? In the distractions of the […]

Eric Anderson (aka Coach Gumby) has long been one of the world’s leading academics on gay-sports issues. Recently his research revealed an increasing trend of young straight men kissing one another. Now comes an update on his research into the treatment of gay athletes. Previously explored in 2002, Anderson has brought his analysis into 2010 […]

Add Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Warren Moon to the list of athletes who don’t think having an openly gay teammate would be a big deal. Moon played 17 years in the NFL, with his prime being with the Houston Oilers. Moon told the Victor and Matt Sports Podcast on Radio Exiles in May that […]

Dave Kopay started paving the way in the ’70s With all the gay-sports news that's unfolded over the last month, there's also been an overwhelming reaction in the media: They've actually started giving the issue the coverage it's deserved for a long time. Some say sports are "ready," others say "we've come a long way." […]

Dirk Nowitzki The NBA Finals (Dallas vs. Miami) tips off Tuesday, followed the next day by Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals (Vancouver vs. Boston). Both series look intriguing with some fresh faces in the Finals. For Miami and Dallas, this is their second trip each to the Finals (they played in 2006), while […]

We have written before about Vlatko Markovic, the rabidly homophobic president of Croatia soccer, who has said among other things that gays can’t be on the national team because “only healthy people play football.” Two lawsuits have been filed against him for his comments, with a Croatian court throwing one out a month ago. Canadian […]

Our good friend at Trackpic is shooting the yearly decathlon in Gotzis, Austria, and on his way there he stopped by Munich and shot some rowers preparing for a world cup meet. Here is a sample of what he took. We will post more from rowing and a complete decathlon gallery when he returns. Our […]

Figure skater Johnny Weir has been named the grand marshal of Los Angeles Pride. John Amaechi previously served as the grand marshal. I wonder if Weir will ask Kobe Bryant to ride with him! Despite not competing on the ice, it's been another busy year for Weir as he came out (officially), released a book […]

Equality California is hosting its second Swim For Equality this year in two locations: June 26 in San Francisco and Sept. 24 in Malibu. Supporters of the swim include Olympic gold medalists Gary Hall, Lenny Krayzelburg and Greg Louganis. Anyone interested in participating in one of the swims should head over to the EQCA site. […]

The recent fines in the NBA for Kobe Bryant and Joakim Noah using “faggot” has engendered a lot of talk about language and what is and isn’t a slur. Mike Freeman of CBS Sportsline has a provocative column where he says that calling someone a “faggot” is the same as calling a black person a […]

If you saw overtime of the Bulls-Heat game last night, I’m wondering if you saw what I saw: Big trouble for the rest of the NBA. Last summer LeBron James talked about winning five…six…seven titles with the Miami Heat. At one point they hovered around .500 and everyone laughed. But that overtime last night was […]

The Atlanta Rainbow Trout, the city’s gay masters swim team, has added a triathlon team that’s already had a hot start to their season. Alex Solomon (right in photo) is on fire, placing third and first overall in two triathlons. Alex’s victory came in the USA Triathlon Southeast Regional Championship, which qualifies him for the […]

The gay sports world lost a true legend last weekend when Chuck Dima, known as the “grandfather of gay softball,” passed away on Sunday after a battle with cancer. He was 81. Sam Lehman, commissioner of the Southern New England Friendship Softball League, was one of the first two hear the news: Chuck was often […]

Grant Turner Swimmers James Goddard, Ross Davenport and Grant Turner were among 28 British celebrities to pose naked for Cosmo UK in a June centerfold spread designed to raise awareness of male cancers like prostate and testicular cancer through the Everyman campaign. Said Davenport: “I feel so comfortable in my swimming trunks but, without that […]

Rolanda DelaMartinez and Keelin Godsey It was a real honor to be at the National Center for Lesbian Rights' annual celebration in San Francisco last Saturday. Outsports has been a big supporter of NCLR for years because of their dedication to sports and the measurable results fighting for gay rights that put them in a […]

The NBA fined Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls $50,000 for saying, “F**k you, faggot” to a Miami Heat fan. It was only half of what the league fined Kobe Bryant for a similar slur hurled at a referee last month. The league fined Noah “for using a derogatory and offensive term from the bench.” […]

Two-time NBA League MVP Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns is the latest professional athlete to lend his support to marriage equality (video after the jump). Hi, I'm Steve Nash. I spend my summers in New York, and I love playing at the Garden. A growing number of professional athletes are speaking out in support […]

Photo by Josh Maready Former Villanova basketball player Will Sheridan came out publicly as gay last week, and in his Outsports interview he talked about the passion he has for his music. His recent video "Welcome to the Jungle" has gotten a lot of YouTube play. Sheridan has released his latest music vide, "302," named […]

Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew are teaming up with gay publishers Outlook Media to put on a gay soccer tournament this July. As far as we know, it’s the first time an professional sports team in the U.S. has co-presented and hosted a gay sports tournament. “This is an exciting new partnership and event,” said […]

Ben Cohen has officially retired from professional rugby and is using the opportunity to launch his new foundation to combat anti-gay bullying, the StandUp Foundation. The group is based in Atlanta. He’s in the middle of a U.S. tour to promote the initiative. A full press release on the new organization is after the jump. […]