Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Baseball, 1976. Major League pitcher Jim Bouton had caused quite a stir with his 1970 book, Ball Four. The book chronicled his 1969 season in the Major Leagues and brought to the public eye the rampant womanizing and drug use taking [...]
Posts under ‘MLB’
Worst call ever? Umpire blows game-ending call in Pirates-Braves
Last night the Pirates and Braves played 19 innings…that ended with what looks to me like one of the worst officiating calls ever in pro sports. It’s one thing to miss a 90 mph strike or get it wrong when a pile of bodies bury one another at a goal line. But to miss the [...]
Phillies to say “It Gets Better” (finally)
In the end, it seems DeSean Jackson’s stupidity helped do some good after all. I was pleased to see that MLB teams began to create their own “It Gets Better” videos to help combat bullying. The San Francisco Giants were the first to complete theirs, followed by the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. In [...]
‘Out: The Glenn Burke Story’ to get national release on Versus in August
Many have bemoaned the fact that the Emmy-nominated documentary ‘Out: The Glenn Burke Story‘ has only been aired in Northern California. Now Versus, best-known for their NHL broadcasts, is stepping up to air the film nationally on Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 10pmET. From the Versus press release: “Out. The Glenn Burke Story” tells the dramatic [...]
Gay Softball World Series invites White Sox Gordon Beckham and Jerry Reinsdorf to attend
Local organizers of NAGAAA‘s Gay Softball World Series have invited Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham (right) and team owner Jerry Reinsdorf to the Gay Softball World Series in late August. Beckham previously “apologized” for scrawling “Getz is gay” in the infield of a recent matchup with the Kansas City Royals. From the Windy [...]
Moment #84: Lesbian couple ejected from Dodgers Stadium for kissing creates ‘gay days’
Part of Outsports’ series on our 100 most important moments in gay sports history. Baseball, 2000. When Danielle Goldey and Meredith Kott went to the Los Angeles Dodgers game on Aug. 8, 2000, they never imagined they’d set off a chain of events that would lead to “gay days” at pro sporting events for years to [...]
San Diego Padres are first pro team to sign GLSEN’s Team Respect Challenge
GLSEN’S Sports Project, which launched earlier this year, got some amazing news when their San Diego chapter announced the San Diego Padres have signed the group’s Team Respect Challenge. In the pledge, created by project director Pat Griffin, the team promises to avoid slurs, remind teammates who use bullying language that it’s “not ok,” and [...]
Baseball at the All-Star break: Time to get serious!
The Major League Baseball All-Stars have been announced so that means if you wear Yankee pinstripes then you are going to the game whether you deserve it or not. More importantly, the All-Star game marks the halfway point of the season so what better time to evaluate the league and highlight some of the good [...]
Gordon Beckham of the Chicago White Sox offers non-apology for ‘Getz is gay’ scrawl
Chicago White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham is the latest to catch some heat after calling someone gay. It was during a game against the Kansas City Royals last week and Beckham inexplicably scrawled in the dirt: GETZ IS GAY! GB. The message referred to former teammate Chris Getz, who is now with the Royals. [...]
Red Sox release powerful ‘It Gets Better’ video with Francona, Youkilis, Varitek
The Boston Red Sox are now the third MLB team to release an ‘It Gets Better‘ video. And this one’s the best of them all. It features manager Terry Francona (right) and star players Kevin Youkilis and Jason Varitek. It also includes various members of the LGBT community. It’s the first video I’ve felt speaks directly [...]
Minnesota Twins to make ‘It Gets Better’ video; Mets unlikely?
The Minnesota Twins are the latest to announce they will make an ‘It Gets Better’ video. This comes soon after a lesbian couple accused a Twins security guard of homophobia. The Twins are the fifth MLB team to make a commitment to the video series, joining the Giants, Cubs, Red Sox and Mariners. We had [...]
Lesbian couple claims anti-gay discrimination by Minnesota Twins security guard
Two lesbians claim they were the victims of discrimination when a security guard for the Minesota Twins told them they couldn’t kiss one another at a Twins game. Taylor Campione and Kelsi Culpepper claim the guard said they couldn’t play “grab ass” and that they must adhere to the Ten Commandments while in the stadium. If [...]
Chicago Cubs release ‘It Gets Better’ video with Mike Quade, Ryan Dempster, Marlon Byrd…
The Chicago Cubs have released their 1-minute promised “It Gets Better” video aimed at telling kids that life gets better and telling everyone else that bullying shouldn’t be tolerated. They’re the second MLB team to produce an “It Gets Better” video. They rolled out some heavy hitters for the video: club manager Mike Quade, first base [...]
Washington Nationals commit to producing ‘It Gets Better’ video?
A gay Nationals Web fan site is claiming the Washington Nationals is the latest MLB team to commit to producing an “It Gets Better” video. The Giants have already made theirs, and the Cubs, Red Sox and Mariners have made commitments to do so. If true, that would make it five MLB teams to make commitments [...]
Seattle Mariners to say ‘It Gets Better’; Equality Pennsylvania pushing Phillies & Pirates
It’s officially a groundswell. The Seattle Mariners announced today they will produce an ‘It Gets Better’ video encouraging gay youth to hang in there and focus on their positive future. The San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox have produced or plan to produce ‘It Gets Better’ videos. That’s four of the 29 [...]
Chicago Cubs to release ‘It Gets Better’ video
Just days after the San Francisco Giants became the first pro sports team to release an ‘It Gets Better’ video to combat homophobia in sports, the Chicago Cubs have announced they will record a video at the end of their current road trip. The Cubs have embraced the gay community, including donations (enumerated in their [...]
San Francisco Giants release It Gets Better video with Barry Zito and others
The San Francisco Giants have released the It Gets Better video they said was in the works. And they didn’t hold back. Superstar Barry Zito is the featured player in the video, along with players Matt Cain, Sergio Romo, Andres Torres, and also Giants hitting coach Hensley “Bam Bam” Muelens. The message includes English, Spanish and [...]
Roger McDowell suspended. Another fan Todd Achondo doesn’t claim homophobia
Major League Baseball has suspended Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell for two weeks. The suspension comes in response to allegations that the coach made highly inappropriate comments (including homophobic comments) and gestures toward fans during a game at San Francisco on Easter. McDowell apologized for transgressions without admitting to anything in particular. Meanwhile, another [...]
Braves coach Roger McDowell accused of homophobia by Gloria Allred and Justin Quinn
Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell has apologized for his response to heckling fans in San Francisco on Easter. The apology was spurred by accusations by Justin Quinn of Fresno, Calif., that McDowell threatened Quinn with a baseball bat and made homophobic remarks. It’s a strange situation, and it’s hard to believe everything Quinn is [...]
Which league will have the first out player?
We’ve said for years the NHL is the most likely to have the first active openly gay pro athlete in the U.S., and it seems someone at AfterElton agrees. In a lengthy article chronicling many gay sports stories over the years, they’ve also come to the conclusion that the NFL is the least likely to [...]