Hotlanta Softball closes out season

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 11, 2008 | 3:32 PM

The Hotlanta Softball League closed out its season on Sunday with a party to hand out awards and wish well the league's 11 teams heading to the Gay Softball World Series later this month in Seattle.

The event, held in the upscale Ten Pin Alley in Atlantic Station, featured bowling, pizza, the debut of the league's new t-shirt for the Series and a cheer led by outgoing HSL Commissioner Emerson Ross that, well, can't quite be done justice with only words. You have to see it performed live for the full experience.

Nearly a dozen HSL teams will compete for titles during the Series, which opens Aug. 22. Among those teams are two -- the Venom from the Open Division and the Riptide from the Women's Division -- returning to the Series to defend the titles they won in 2007.

For photos from the event, go here. View additional photos from the season here. READ MORE »

Beating the August doldrums

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 8, 2008 | 4:58 PM

With the big summer events behind them, gay sports groups and leagues are focusing on recruitment.

The Atlanta Team Tennis Association hosts its Tennis Block Party on Saturday to try and lure people back to the sport. On Sunday, the Hotlanta Softball League holds registration for its Fall Ball, a more informal and shorter season that opens on Sept. 21. HSL also hosts sign-up events Aug. 9, 16, 17 and Sept. 6.

Also coming up is Rugby 101 from the Atlanta Bucks Rugby Football Club, an hours-long primer on the sport that serves as the unofficial start to their fall season. That kicks off Sept. 13.

The Atlanta Gay Sports Alliance also hosts an Olympic watching and recruitment Aug. 17.

For more on the events, read my new Southern Voice sports column. READ MORE »

AirTran swaps Michael Vick for Matt Ryan

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 7, 2008 | 4:38 PM

Making Matt Ryan the new face of the Atlanta Falcons wasn't the primary reason the troubled franchise inked him to an expensive and long-term contract earlier this year. But it didn't hurt, either, to bring on board someone with his cover boy good looks to replace the misbehaving Michael Vick.

AirTran likes it, too. They've inked Ryan to a two-year endorsement deal that includes at least four billboards featuring him around town. He'll also be included in radio spots. "Laser Rocket Arm. Head For Low Fares" reads one; "Touchdowns As Often As We Do" is another. It's the same sort of campaign Vick was in until the airline didn't renew his contract last year. READ MORE »

Gay tennis on the block

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 6, 2008 | 8:58 PM

The Atlanta Team Tennis Association has pulled out their rackets and is swinging hard.

The gay tennis group is on a push to up the interest in the sport, add to the their membership rolls and raise funds for their signature event, the Peach International Tennis Championships held over Labor Day Weekend.

On Saturday, ATTA hosts its Tennis Block Party from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Glenlake Tennis Center. The free event will include drills, racquet demonstrations and snacks.

On Aug. 16, the group holds its annual variety show to raise funds for the tournament. Speaking of the Peach, registration closes Aug. 9. READ MORE »

SPORTS

Will the NFL crack its glass ceiling?

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 5, 2008 | 7:17 PM

Take a close look the next time you watch the NFL, MLB or NBA. You won’t see a woman with a whistle in her hand, with the exception of one or two females who have broken through the male-dominated bastion of pro sports to work NBA games.

That’s why the appearance of Sarah Thomas at the New Orleans Saints training camp on Friday caused such a stir. Thomas, who last fall became the first female to officiate an NCAA Division I-A game, turned a few NFL heads during the scrimmage. For its part, the league wouldn’t say if they are scouting for their first female ref.

Her appearance, of course, prompted the hetero-macho, chest-thumping reaction you’d expect. But it was a nice distraction from the only other story out of the NFL since training camp started. Yeah, that guy. READ MORE »

Red and black now colors of the day

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 2, 2008 | 10:34 PM

It’s a little like putting lipstick on a pig. But at least the Atlanta Falcons are trying.

The team unveiled a freshly painted and spruced up Georgia Dome today when they held drills and scrimmaged for fans. It’s not the Dome that’s the pig getting the lipstick. The renovations look superb, in fact. I’m talking about the Falcons.

But with a new coach, new quarterback and fresh attitude, who knows? The bar is getting lower for pro teams in Atlanta and the Falcons might just be able to jump over it this fall.

The Dome has a new chef, too, but only for those with top-tier tickets.

Photo: Curtis Compton, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

READ MORE »

The final word on Hotlanta Classic XVII

By Project Q Atlanta | Aug 1, 2008 | 1:20 PM

The reviews are in: Though downsized from past years, the Hotlanta Classic XVII last weekend drew favorable reactions from participants. It also brought 14 teams of gay jocks to the courts of Emory, which isn’t a bad way to spend a weekend.

“It’s a good way to practice,” says Beto Sansiberio. “It’s s smaller tournament, so it’s a good way to get that synergy together. The facility is amazing. I haven’t been in a nicer facility than this one.”

For more reaction on the tournament, read my Southern Voice sports column.

Go here for a gallery of photos from the event.
READ MORE »

Georgia Tech players feel the burn

By Project Q Atlanta | Jul 29, 2008 | 1:26 PM

Georgia Tech football players are serious gym rats. With college football season just around the corner, teams are hitting the weights to get that pre-season pump before practice begins. And by pump we mean some serious back-bending workouts that create bugles in all of the right places. Johnny Crawford, a photographer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently spent some time with the Iron Men at Tech. Check out his 14-photo gallery here. READ MORE »