Sports
Vets welcome rookies in flag football league
Long-time members say younger players have upped level
Matt Murtaugh, left, and Jay Maroney of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League. (Photos courtesy D.C. Gay Flag Football League)
In the continuing Blade series on the veterans and rookies of the LGBT sports teams in the metro Washington area, we shine the spotlight this week on the D.C. Gay Flag Football League.
The League is set to launch its 10th season with 270 players on 20 teams. Members also run a recreation league with four teams which is primarily for players who want to develop their skills, play new positions or try out for the competitive league for the first time.
Matt Murtaugh just came out of the closet last May and moved to D.C. two months later in July. He was looking to make new friends and heard about the D.C. Gay Flag Football League.
“I went through the draft last fall for season nine, the new player skill assessments and the scrimmages,” Murtaugh says. “It was a little intimidating at the beginning.”
Murtaugh, who is 23 and works in government contracting, had never played flag football before entering the League. He grew up in North Potomac, Md., playing basketball and also played intramural basketball while earning his degree at the University of South Carolina.
“I was the only rookie on my team and the veterans were very welcoming and walked me through all the rules,” Murtaugh says. “They are the ones who make the team run.”
Murtaugh found the League to be very competitive and is looking forward to season 10.
“I am so happy I joined,” he says. “I met a lot of great people that I would not have met otherwise.”
Jay Maroney is a veteran who has been involved in gay flag football since 1999 when it was just a bunch of friends playing pick-up games on the Mall. He has played in all nine seasons of the D.C. Gay Flag Football League and is also looking forward to season 10.
He comes back every season because it’s organized, competitive and the teams are different every year (the League redrafts the players every season to prevent team dynasties).
“The social structure of the League is very different than what you often find in D.C.,” Maroney says. “There are no cliques and social barriers seem to disappear. We have a nice mix of rookies, veterans, women and straight players.”
Maroney, 44, attended a small college in western Massachusetts and received his master’s from Georgetown and a doctoral law degree from George Washington University Law School. He played club level sports during those years and fell in love with kayaking after taking it as a class in his early college years in Massachusetts.
He moved out west and became a professional kayaker and eventually moved to the hotbed of kayaking in the southeast where he specialized in freestyle kayaking and down river sprints.
Maroney’s flag football experiences continue to play out in a positive way because of the friendly, outgoing players who join the League.
He says the quality of play gets better every season because of the rookies.
“The veteran players didn’t always bring a lot of prior athletic experience to the League because of the homophobia in sports when they were growing up,” Maroney says. “The rookies seem to be coming to us with more of a sports background which serves to raise the quality of play in all of us.”
Sports
‘Heated Rivalry’ stars to participate in Olympic torch relay
Games to take place next month in Italy
“Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie will participate in the Olympic torch relay ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics that will take place next month in Italy.
HBO Max, which distributes “Heated Rivalry” in the U.S., made the announcement on Thursday in a press release.
The games will take place in Milan and Cortina from Feb. 6-22. The HBO Max announcement did not specifically say when Williams and Storrie will participate in the torch relay.
The Washington Capitals will host Pride Night on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they host the Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena. A special ticket offer featuring a Pride-themed Capitals rainbow jersey is available at washcaps.com.
Fans are invited to a pre-game Block Party at District E beginning at 5 p.m. The event will feature a performance by the band NovaKane. Specialty happy hour food and beverages will be available, as well as giveaways. There will also be a presence by several local LGBTQ+ community organizations.
Egypt
Iran, Egypt object to playing in Seattle World Cup ‘Pride Match’
Game to take place on June 26
Iran and Egypt have objected to playing in a “Pride Match” that will take place in Seattle during the 2026 World Cup.
The Egyptian Football Association on Tuesday said it told FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström in a letter that “it categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran, scheduled to be held in Seattle, USA, on June 26, 2026, in the third round of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.” Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran President Mehdi Taj told ISNA, a semi-official Iranian news agency that both his country and Egypt “protested this issue.”
The 2026 World Cup will take place in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The draw took place at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.
Iran is among the handful of countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death.
The State Department’s 2023 human rights report notes that while Egyptian law “did not explicitly criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, authorities regularly arrested and prosecuted LGBTQI+ persons on charges including ‘debauchery,’ prostitution, and ‘violating family values.’” Egyptian authorities “also reportedly prosecuted LGBTQI+ individuals for ‘misuse of social media.’”
“This resulted in de facto criminalization of same-sex conduct and identity,” notes the report.
The 2024 human rights report the State Department released earlier this year did not include LGBTQ-specific references.
Soccer has ‘unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs’
The June 26 match between Iran and Egypt coincides with Seattle Pride. The Washington Post reported the Seattle FIFA World Cup 2026 Local Organizing Committee decided to hold the “Pride Match” before last week’s draw.
“As the Local Organizing Committee, SeattleFWC26’s role is to prepare our city to host the matches and manage the city experience outside of Seattle Stadium,” said SeattleFWC26 Vice President of Communications Hana Tadesse in a statement the committee sent to the Washington Blade on Wednesday. “SeattleFWC26 is moving forward as planned with our community programming outside the stadium during Pride weekend and throughout the tournament, partnering with LGBTQ+ leaders, artists, and business owners to elevate existing Pride celebrations across Washington.”
“Football has a unique power to unite people across borders, cultures, and beliefs,” added Tadeese. “The Pacific Northwest is home to one of the nation’s largest Iranian-American communities, a thriving Egyptian diaspora, and rich communities representing all nations we’re hosting in Seattle. We’re committed to ensuring all residents and visitors experience the warmth, respect, and dignity that defines our region.”
The 2034 World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia.
Consensual same-sex sexual relations remain punishable by death in the country. The 2022 World Cup took place in neighboring Qatar, despite concerns over the country’s anti-LGBTQ rights record.
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