Sports
Team DC gearing up for busy fall
Tennis, football, diving and much more on tap
The D.C. Gay Flag Football League starts its new season Sept. 7, while so much more awaits Team DC teams this fall. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
As the summer cools down, many LGBT sports leagues are just heating up. From Flag Football to Diving, Team DC has a wide array of LGBT sports opportunities this fall.
The Federal Triangles, D.C.’s LGBT soccer organization, kicks off its Rehoboth Beach Classic tournament over Labor Day weekend today (Friday) through Sunday. Participants are still needed. Members can register for $87.26 and non-members for $97.49 at federaltriangles.org.
The Triangles have indoor and outdoor coed, women’s and men’s teams over the fall. The Turkey Bowl, an annual tournament for all skill levels, is held each year the Saturday before Thanksgiving, with a potluck dinner party afterward.
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Membership dues are $50 each year. Visit federaltriangles.org to become a member and find other ways to get involved.
The Capital Tennis Association has a fall league that runs from Sept. 17 through Dec. 29. The Capital Classic XXI Tournament is Sept. 13-15, with doubles and singles tournaments at the Rock Creek Tennis Center (16th and Kennedy streets, N.W.) and the East Potomac Center (1090 Ohio Dr., S.W.). Registration ranges from $70-130. For more information and to register, visit capital-tennis.org.
The Capital Tennis Association has six leagues that play weekly and three remain open, including Saturday Singles at Hains Point (972 Ohio Dr., S.W.), Saturday Faixfax Doubles and Sunday Fairfax Singles (9860 Lee Hwy., Fairfax, Va.). All skill levels are encouraged. Registration ranges from $165-330. Visit capital-tennis.org for more information and to register.
The Washington Wetskins water polo team hosts its annual Columbus Day Classic tournament on Oct. 12 at the Takoma Aquatic Center (300 Van Buren St., N.W.). Teams can register for $100 before Sept. 17, or for $450 afterward.
The Wetskins practice each week on Monday and Wednesday nights at the Takoma Aquatic Center. New members can register monthly for $30, quarterly for $90 or annually for $300. For more information on the tournament and to register, visit wetskins.org.
The D.C. Gay Flag Football League kicks off its seventh season on Sept. 7. The teams play every Sunday from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at Carter Barron Fields (16th and Kennedy streets, N.W.) and on Friday nights at Randall Field (820 South Capitol St., S.W.). All skill levels are welcome.
The game schedule for the fall is TBA. Registration is full, but those interested can be put on a waitlist. For more information and to be waitlisted, visit dcgffl.org.
The Chesapeake and Potomac Softball league starts its fall season on Sept. 7, with registration through Sept. 2. The group plays every Saturday through Oct. 12, with teams playing at 10 or 11 a.m., or noon or 1 p.m., at the Tucker Road Complex (1771 Rucker Rd., Fort Washington, Md.). Registration is $30. For more details and to register, visit capssoftball.leagueapps.com.
The Lambda Links Golf Club continues membership through Oct. 31. The league hosts two fall tournaments, including the Club Championship on Sept. 7 and the Oct. 27 Halloween Tournament, with times and locations to be announced.
Lambda Links play at a variety of courses in the area, such as the Poolesville Golf Course (16601 West Willard Rd., Poolesville, Md.). Membership is $20 after Aug. 15. All skill levels are welcome, but members are expected to have played 18-hole rounds of golf and know “golf etiquette.” For more information and to register, visit lambdalinks.org.
The Lambda Divers, an LGBT scuba diving group, host a diving trip to Curacao, an island in the Caribbean, from Sept. 21-28. The trip is part of the International Gay and Lesbian Diving Jamboree, and requires a minimum deposit of $515.
Two-year membership dues for Lambda Divers range from $30-67.50. To register and for more information on the Curacao trip and the group, visit lambdadivers.org.
The D.C. Front Runners start back up their regular fall Saturday “fun run” on Sept. 7 from 10 a.m.-noon at 23 and P Streets, N.W. The “Fun Run” is their most popular weekly run, and includes 3-, 4- or 6-mile runs through scenic Rock Creek Park.
The Front Runners will also be participating in the “Arlington Police, Fire and Sheriff 9/11 Memorial 5K” run on Sept. 7 at the Crystal City Double Tree Hotel (300 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Va.) at 6 p.m. The 9-11 Memorial 5K draws over 25,000 participants each year, and raises up to $400,000 for 9-11-related charities, like the American Red Cross and Wounded Warrior Project. Registration is $40.
The group will have a lot of races during the fall and participate in many more marathons in locations all over D.C. and as far as Baltimore and Philadelphia. For more information and to register for events, visit dcfrontrunners.org.
The Washington Renegades rugby league start their season on Sept. 7, which lasts through Nov. 23. Practices are held every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:45 p.m. at Cardozo High School (1300 Clifton St., N.W.).
Matches will take place each Saturday, with times and locations TBD. Membership for fall recruits is $50, and full-year membership is $100. For more information and to register, visit dcrugby.com.
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.
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