Sports
Time to play ball
CAPS gears up for 29th softball season
There’s still time to register for softball. Three registration events will be held this month. (Photos by Scott Trump)
The Chesapeake and Potomac Softball League (CAPS) is gearing up for its 29th season, which kicks off Sunday, May 1 at Watkins Regional Park in Upper Marlboro.
The group has three remaining early bird registration events, which will take place at Cobalt on Saturday, PW’s Sports Bar on March 26 and Freddie’s on March 27. The registration events are an opportunity to meet the board of directors, coaches and other players along with getting $10 off the cost of joining, which is normally $50.
CAPS was founded in 1983 and over the years has become one of the larger LGBT sports teams in the area. There are currently 500 players on 27 teams with multiple divisions.
There are three open divisions consisting of both men and women with three different skill categories: B, C and D. There are two women’s divisions — B and C. The season runs for nine weeks and each team plays 18 games during that period on consecutive Sundays.
For those who may be apprehensive about playing or just want to recheck their abilities, the group offers a skills clinic run by professionals. The skills clinic will be offered at 10 a.m. on Sunday, April 17 at the Tucker Road Field in Fort Washington.
A few years ago, CAPS formed Friends of the League for people who want to be a part of the group without playing. For $10 you can become a member and attend the season kick-off party at Cobalt on April 30 and also the end-of-season party at Nellie’s on July 31.
CAPS is a member of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) and the Amateur Sports Alliance of North America (ASANA). NAGAAA is a huge organization, which boasts 680 teams and more than 10,000 players in 41 cities across North America. Each year it hosts the Gay Softball World Series. In 2010, CAPS sent four teams to the event held in Columbus, Ohio. CAPS currently has a bid in for the 2013 World Series and is competing with Portland and Dallas for the selection.
Ed Vincent, CAPS League Commissioner stated that if they are accepted as the host city, D.C. can expect to see more than 2,000 players come into the area for the event.
In addition to regular season play, the players also travel to a few tournaments throughout the 41-city NAGAAA member circuit. For more information on CAPS, go to capssoftball.org.
Iran and Egypt on Friday faced off during the World Cup’s “Pride Match” in Seattle.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death. Discrimination and persecution based on sexual orientation and gender identity is commonplace in Egypt.
Friday’s match coincided with Pride weekend in Seattle. The Egyptian Football Association and the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran both objected to playing in the “Pride Match.”
Egypt and Iran tied 1-1.
FIFA, for its part, allowed Pride flags inside the stadium during the match.
“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is an inclusive event that welcomes people from all backgrounds,” a FIFA spokesperson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Fans of all sexual orientations and gender identities are welcome at matches and events. General statements of human rights, including rainbow flags and other flags representing sexual orientation and gender identity, are permitted under the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Stadium Code of Conduct and may be displayed inside stadiums provided they are used in a manner consistent with the code.”
Human Rights Watch welcomed FIFA’s decision to allow Pride flags inside the stadium. Outright International, a global LGBTQ and intersex rights group, distributed Pride flags in Seattle on Friday, which was Pride Match Day.
“Visibility matters,” said Outright International Executive Director Maria Sjödin. “Pride is now being celebrated in more than 100 countries, including this weekend in Seattle. For many LGBTIQ people, seeing a Pride flag in public is a reminder that they are not alone, and that their rights and dignity are recognized.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino earlier this year told Die Weltwoche, a Swiss magazine, that “there will be no ‘Pride Match’ at the (FIFA) World Cup.”
“There will be a FIFA World Cup match in Seattle, and on the same day, events organized by external organizations will be taking place in the city,” said Infantino. “But that has nothing to do with the match itself.”
Peter Tatchell, a long-time LGBTQ activist from the U.K. who is director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was among those who traveled to Seattle for Friday’s match. Tatchell accused FIFA of not vetting World Cup teams — specifically Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Algeria — over whether they would allow gay players.
“FIFA is protecting LGBT+ visibility in the stands while failing to protect LGBT+ players on the pitch,” said Tatchell.
The Baltimore Orioles will take on the Washington Nationals on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m. for Pride Night at Oriole Park.
The first 15,000 fans will receive an exclusive Pride Night Orioles jersey. The Washington Blade is a media sponsor of this event.
To purchase tickets, visit Orioles.com/Tickets.
Sports
Minor league team in York, Pa., forfeits Pride Night game after some players refuse to wear special jersey
City is roughly 20 miles north of Md. border
An independent minor league baseball team says it is forfeiting a game because some of its players refused to wear a special Pride Night jersey.
The Atlantic League Pro Baseball’s York Revolution were planning to hold their 11th annual Pride Night event Thursday for a game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.
But the Revolution announced the day of the game that it wouldn’t be played. York is about 20 miles north of the Maryland line. The Blue Crabs play in Waldorf.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
New book reveals what we can learn from animal sex
Who might replace Lindsey Graham? The contenders and their LGBTQ records
PHOTOS: Westminster Pride
Un terremoto también se vive desde el exilio
PHOTOS: Emerald City Pride
Mr. Henry’s celebrates 60 years of proud inclusivity
It’s good to see some justices standing up to Trump
Egyptian authorities refuse to allow gay cruise to dock in country
Queer media dominates 2026 Emmy nominations
