Spring has finally fully sprung! Now, it’s time for you to put on those Under Armor shorts and hit the fields to play ball.
Whether you’re a novice or a few more practices away from heading to the Olympic trials, most cities have club leagues for all levels, even if you just want to be an athletic supporter. And if you’re like us, when you’re traveling it’s fun to just go watch the gays play — with picnic in tow.
Here is our round-up of the best queer-friendly sports leagues across the country. Keep in mind, some of these are just social teams, so regardless of interest, you can play kickball, volleyball, softball, flag football, bowling, or darts with like-minded folks. And hey, you have a strong chance of catching a trophy or at least a trophy husband. Win-win.
National
Stonewall Sports is almost national with outposts in Philadelphia, Chicago, Raleigh, Minneapolis, Charlotte, Cleveland, Wilmington, Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, New Orleans and Greensboro. One of the most popular Stonewall sports is kickball, with a laundry list of others offered, like bocce, dodgeball, and volleyball.
Bonus: uniforms are included in the registration fee.
National Gay Flag Football League is a fairly well-organized sports league for those guys that enjoy flagging on the field. A bit more on the serious side, this league is currently celebrating 15 years. With over 200 teams in 20 cities they hold tournaments all over the country. It is a great way to meet new people and rack up some frequent flyer miles.
Boston
Bean-town certainly packs a wallop when it comes to sports for the boys with Softball, indoor and outdoor volleyball, bowling, hockey, and running.
Chicago
The Second City is no stranger to sports with championship teams in all pro-level leagues so it makes sense to have plenty of amateur options here. CMSA serves up both indoor and beach volleyball as well as badminton, soccer and basketball with the AAC offering table tennis, pool and archery among the traditional athletics.
California
Varsity Gay, the largest gay sports league in California has competitors tying their cleats in Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Sacramento for good ole co-ed fun. Offering mainly kickball, each city has their own slew of sports but offers everything from bowling to soccer.
New York
The popular sports-themed homo bar Boxers hosts a few sports leagues through the Big Apple. Hockey, cheer, basketball, sailing, and rugby is just the tip of the ice burg when it comes to getting your sport on. Even with the long list of teams to join, you may be interested in just watching the wrestling and diving #JustSayin
Photo by Flickr user Ted Eytan used under the Creative Commons Attribution license