National Gay Flag Football League

National Gay Flag Football League (NGFFL) is a nonprofit LGBT flag football league, currently comprising 200 teams in 24 leagues in the United States and Canada.

National Gay Flag Football League
SportFlag football
Founded2002 (2002)
CommissionerThurman Williams
CountryUnited States
HeadquartersNew York City
Official websitengffl.com

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, 200 teams in 24 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. 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. 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. Zeigler, Cyd (May 21, 2017). "New England Patriots sponsoring Gay Bowl 17 in Boston this October". Outsports. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
  6. 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. 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.com. 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.
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