Gay Softball World Series returns after year hiatus

Upbeat dance COLUMBUS — music blared from the large, colorfully decorated boombox inside the dugout where the Philly Love softball team sat during its turn at bat.

So loud, in fact, that the umpire had to ask them nicely to turn it down.

“We don’t do well when we get really intense,” said Nate Fletcher, who has played on the gay softball team from Philadelphia since 2016. “Then, we start reacting to bad plays and pointing fingers.”

The relaxed feeling of the game Wednesday at Lou Berliner Sports Park on the South Side helped create some great plays from the Philly Love, including a diving catch from outfielder Chad Harris to prevent a home run from the Dallas Boxcutters that drew cheers as loud as the music coming from the dugout.

“It’s a party, but still good competition,” said Fletcher, 33.

That basically sums up the Gay Softball World Series.

Columbus is playing host to the large annual event organized by the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance for the third time since 2010 with more than 230 teams coming from 47 cities.

The event, which brings thousands of players and spectators, is expected to bring $11 million to the city, according to estimates from the Greater Columbus Sports Commission.

Teams played four roundrobin games earlier in the week and started a double-elimination tournament Thursday to crown champions in seven different divisions by today.

Victory, of course, is the ultimate goal for most in attendance, said Larry Ruiz, assistant commissioner for the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, which sent about a dozen qualifying teams in various divisions to Columbus.

“As long as players of the same skill level are playing, it’s competitive, and people want to win,” said Ruiz, 60, coach of one Los Angles team and a player on another.

But he was quick to add that the competitive spirit is just one small aspect of the special event that players look forward to each year. This year’s theme is “More than a game,” and many who came from all over the country and Canada remarked how fitting it seemed.

“The people come here because they are playing the sport they love with the people they love without fear of criticism or judgment,” said Kevin Riddle, 56, who was in town from Nashville.

“As gay individuals, when we come out, we’re not always accepted in every space,” Riddle said. “Here, we are. It’s way more than a game for me. It’s saved a lot of us.”

And perhaps this year’s gathering is more important than ever after the isolation the COVID-19 pandemic brought many people the past 18 months. Many softball games across the country were canceled during that time, including last year’s Gay Softball World Series, which was supposed to be in Columbus.

But the national association didn’t want to skip over the Ohio city, even with host sites chosen a few years in advance. Over the past decade, Columbus has become a favorite stop for the event due to the venue as well as the welcoming nature of the community.

The 31 fields in the South Side complex allow all the teams to compete in one place instead of being spread across town, which is a plus for many wanting to see friends they haven’t seen all year, said Keith Speers, who lives in the Short North with his husband, Micheal Carroll.

“At the World Series in other cities, you might want to see friends from other cities play, but that might be 15 miles away,” said Speers, 54, who plays for a local team in Columbus but was serving as a “pick-up” player for the Nashville Force this week. “Here, you can jump on a trolley or drive down and see your friends in minutes.”

The close proximity allows for frequent run-ins and hugs with old friends, said Tonya Vaughn, secretary of the national association and a coach for the Knoxville Cyclones from

Tennessee.

“I’m an only child, and a lot of people here are like family,” Vaughn said. Good vibes exuded across all 31 fields at Berliner Park with rainbow flags flying high and plenty of fun team names, such as the Unicorns and Circus, both hailing from Orlando. There were beers being hoisted, children running around and family members — both biological and chosen — in the stands cheering.

Carroll, who doesn’t play but helped organize the event locally, said witnessing the scene made him emotional.

“It’s amazing because we’ve all been isolated for two years, and it’s so great to come together,” he said. “Seeing everyone in the same place, there’s no way to describe.” Speers, participating in his 30th Gay Softball World Series, has played baseball and softball all his life, but he said he didn’t find true belonging until he joined this league.

“With sports, there was always this moment when I went on the field, I felt like I left a piece of me behind,” Speers said. “Here, I’m bringing everything with me on the field. It told me it’s OK to be a gay athlete.”