National Gay Flag Football League

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National Gay Flag Football League
NGFFL logo.png
SportFlag football
Founded2002; 20 years ago (2002)
CommissionerShigeo Iwamiya
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersNew York City
Official websitengffl.org

National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) is a nonprofit LGBT flag football league, currently comprising 200 teams in 22 leagues in the United States and Canada.

History[]

The NGFFL was founded by Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler[1] in 2002.[2] Teams compete in the national championship tournament to win the Gay Bowl.[1] The championship takes place annually over Columbus Day weekend.[3] The first tournament was held in 2002 at Hollywood High School[3] in Los Angeles, California. It was a two-day event with teams from San Francisco, Boston, and Los Angeles competing.[4] LA Motion won the first Gay Bowl. In 2003, Boston hosted Gay Bowl III. The New England Patriots sent Andre Tippett to officiate the ceremonial coin toss.[5] The DC Gay Flag Football League won the Gay Bowl in 2003 and 2004.[6] In 2005, Chicago Freeze won the Bowl.[7]

In 2016, the Gay Bowl held in Washington, D.C.[8] on the National Mall.[6]

In 2017, the San Diego Bolts were the five-time defending champions of the tournament.[3][5] In 2017, the New England Patriots sponsored the Gay Bowl XVII. Additional sponsors included several Boston teams including the Red Sox,[9] Celtics, and the Bruins.[10] This is the first time professional sports franchises have sponsored the Gay Bowl.[11] Other sponsors, of the 35 total, include United Airlines, Fidelity Investments, Sheraton Hotels and UPS.[12] The tournament took place at Progin Park in Lancaster, Massachusetts. There were three divisions in the tournament, Open A, Open B, and Women's.[3] The New York Warriors won the A-Division Gay Bowl XVII.[10] The Gay Bowl XVIII is scheduled take place in Denver.[10]

Teams[]

Currently, over 200 teams in 22 leagues in the United States and Canada are part of the NGFFL.[13][14] DC Gay Flag Football League is one of the oldest members of the League.[6] The NGFFL imposes a limit on the number of heterosexual players at twenty percent on each team's roster for the Gay Bowl. This is enforced using the honor system.[15]

Media coverage[]

The NGFFL was the subject of the 2015 documentary F(l)ag Football. It features several people including Wade Davis, Cyd Zeigler, and Brenton Metzler.[1][16]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c de la Cretaz, Britni (July 6, 2017). "Inside the National Gay Flag Football League With 'F(l)ag Football'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  2. ^ Sastre, Sole (June 28, 2016). "South Africa's rugby team Jozi Cats defy gay stereotypes". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d Butler, Alex (May 25, 2017). "New England Patriots sponsoring Gay Bowl XVII". UPI. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Atkinson, Michael (2009). Battleground sports. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313087875. OCLC 428819414.
  5. ^ a b Zeigler, Cyd (May 21, 2017). "New England Patriots sponsoring Gay Bowl 17 in Boston this October". Outsports. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Zeigler, Cyd (September 16, 2016). "DC Gay Flag Football League produces 2017 calendar". Outsports. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Forman, Ross (September 19, 2012). "Four Chicago teams to vie for Gay Bowl crown". Windy City Times. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  8. ^ "Flag football league brings annual 'Gay Bowl' to Boston area". Boston Herald. October 7, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  9. ^ Nicole, Nicole (June 10, 2017). "The Red Sox announced their sponsorship of the Gay Bowl at Pride night at Fenway". Boston.com. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Avery, Dan (October 9, 2017). "The New England Patriots Donated $25,000 To A Gay Football Tournament". LOGO News. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  11. ^ Dowling, Brian (October 8, 2017). "Local pro teams back Gay Bowl". Boston Herald. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  12. ^ Bishara, Motez (October 21, 2018). "From humble beginnings, Gay Bowl attracts NFL sponsors and touches lives". CNN.
  13. ^ "National Gay Flag Football League - Home". ngffl.org. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  14. ^ Sales, Bethany (September 27, 2017). "Have you heard of the other Super Bowl? You're about to. Gay Bowl XVII is here". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  15. ^ Bishop, Greg (June 29, 2011). "Softball Case Raises Question: Who Qualifies as Gay?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  16. ^ Jaworowski, Ken (June 15, 2017). "Review: 'F(l)ag Football' Finds Gay Athletes Upending Stereotypes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2018.

External links[]

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