RUNNING HEAD: GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

GLBT SPORTS LEAGUES

AND THEIR IMPACT ON
SOCIETY
Braden Pickett
GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

In the present economic times, parks and recreation departments are

searching for sources of revenue. Interestingly, some communities have turned

down revenue sources from a particular portion of society, a portion of society Commented [BP1]: Could this be more concise? Try just
saying “... from a portion of society…”
who has been seen as “recession-resistant” and willing to spend their money even

in tough times (Evans, 2017). This portion of society is the gay, lesbian, bisexual,

and transgendered (GLBT) community who continue to travel nationally and

internationally to play in various sports tournaments providing income to host

communities. An example of this sort of community resistance happened in

connection with the Gay Games hosted in Chicago in 2019.

“The coordinators of the Gay Games were looking for a site to host

their rowing competition. After the Games expressed their interest

to the park board of a Chicago suburb, several concerns were

raised by park board and community members. These concerns

included having the “flamboyancy” often displayed in gay pride

parades coming to their community, not wanting to be drawn into a

cultural debate, allowing the Gay Games to use their community as

a vehicle to demonstrate their cause or to push a social agenda, and

allowing possible HIV-positive athletes into their community”

(Long, 2019, p. 36).

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GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

Gay residents of this community expressed concerns that if the park board

would not allow a gay sporting event in their community, how long would it be

before gay residents themselves were no longer welcome in the community. In

stark contrast, a number of gay and straight community members (including many

young people) viewed the event as a way to enhance their quality of life. The park

board initially rejected the proposal as some disputed whether the sexual

orientation of the Games drove the negative response. A week later the decision

was reversed with a 3-2 vote of approval, recognizing the proposal was well-

organized and met the criteria.

The issue seems to hinge on the true motivation of GLBT individuals to

participate in sport leagues and tournaments. The concerns of the residents are

unsupported, and some would say insensitive, if the GLBT participants are driven

by the same reasons (sporting experience, social interaction, etc.) as non-GLBT

individuals. However, if participation is driven by a chance to push a social

agenda or find a mutually-attracted partner, residents’ concerns may have relative

merit. Surveying GLBT individuals on their motivation for participating and the

satisfaction they receive from playing in sports leagues and tournaments can yield

answers to the controversy.

In Chicago there is a GLBT sport association called the Chicago Metropolitan

Sport Association (CMSA). CMSA is the largest GLBT sport association in the

country with over 3,500 members and featuring sport leagues in badminton,

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GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

bowling, dodgeball, flag football, kickball, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.

Many of the sport leagues will also host tournaments bringing in travelers from

across the country to compete against other GLBT teams. In addition to Chicago,

tournaments occur all over North America providing various communities with

income from field/court rentals, car rentals, hotel accommodations, etc. For

example, the TEAM DC provides multiple sports for the LGBT community in the

Washington DC area.

Badminton Flag Football Softball

Bowling Kickball Tennis

Dodgeball Soccer Volleyball

So why do GLBT individuals play in these leagues and tournaments? To

provide some insight into the reasons a survey was given out to the members of

CMSA and questions were asked of participants of a softball tournament hosted in

Chicago. Many of those surveyed have had previous experiences in sports, their

last sporting experience prior to CMSA being in college intramurals (37%), high

school sports (28%), or grade school (13%). Since the majority of the participants

were in their thirties (42%) one may also ask why they had not participated in

sport leagues since early in life including why they may not have participated in

opportunities provided by municipal parks and recreation. As we look at what

motivates members of the Chicago GLBT community and what satisfaction they

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GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

receive we can perhaps come to some assumptions. The reason may not revolve

around “not feeling welcomed” as much as “wanting to be a part” of a community

which we know is common to many of our community members.

The motivating factors that drive CMSA members to participate in this

sport league can be grouped into four categories. These four revolve around the

participants motivation to develop intellectually (learning/exploring), build

relationships (social), develop skills (competency/mastery), and/or to relieve

stress (stimulus avoidance). The category that represents the most motivation to

join was the area of skill development. Approximately 89% of the respondents

agreed or strongly agreed with the factors dealing with competency/mastery. In

this category the three-highest factors of motivation were “to be active” (98%),

“to keep in shape physically (91%), and “to use my physical abilities” (91%).

Second to skill development was the motivations for social connections (75% of

respondents). In this category the three-highest factors of motivation were “to

build friendships with others” (98%), “to interact with others” (98%), and “to

meet new and different people” (96%). Furthermore, 77% indicated they were

motivated by a desire to become more involved in the GLBT community. In

addition to being motivated by a means to develop their skills and to connect

socially, approximately 39% were motivated out of a desire to learn and explore

(try new things). For example, 59% were motivated by the desire “to discover

new things”, 50% by the desire “to expand my knowledge” and 47% by the desire

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GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

“to learn about myself”. The last motivational category represented action created

from a need for stimulus avoidance or stress relief (28% of participants). For

example, 72% were motivated by the desire “to relieve stress and tension”, 52%

by the desire “to relax mentally”, and 34% by the desire “to relax physically”.

Residents concerned about “lewd” behavior from the GLBT athletes take note of

the fact that only 10% indicated being motivated by the desire to find someone “to

date”. This by far represents one of the lowest reasons members are driven to

participate.

Percent of CMSA Members who were Motivated to

Join for Different Social Connections

100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Moivated by To Build To Interect To Meet New To Become
Social Friendships with Others and Different more Involved
Connections with Others People in the GLBT
Community

Percent of CMSA Members

Local parks and recreation event programmers can also assume the

motivation and satisfaction responses of those surveyed are consistent with most

of those participating in our communities. Satisfactions indicated by these GLBT

members included finding the activities interesting (99%), social interaction

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GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

(98%), making friends (98%), enjoyment (98%), sense of accomplishment (96%),

and building relationships (96%) just to name a few. If you consider that

approximately 41% of these 3,500 members travel to other communities to play in

GLBT sports tournaments, one can see there is a large market nationwide of

GLBT individuals traveling for sports. So, what can communities, especially

those budgets in the red, do to tap into the influx of spending from GLBT athletic

events

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GLBT SPORTS AND THE BENEFITS ON SOCIETY

References

Evans, T. (2017). Gay and Lesbian Travel Industry thrives in Economic

Recession. Retrieved on October 8, 2018 from

http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/2009/April/Gay-and-

Lesbian-Travel-Industry-Thrives-in-Economic-Recession-.html

Long, J (2019). Gay Games tests suburb: Debate is an event for Crystal Lake.

Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 25, 2019 from

http://www.redorbit.com/news/sports/465988/gay_games_tests_suburb_de

bate_is_an_event_for_crystal/index.html

Nash, R. (1982). Wilderness and the American Mind. New Haven, Connecticut:

Yale University.

Newhouse, N. (1990). Implications of attitude and behavior research for

environmental conservation. The Journal of Environmental Education,

22(1), 26-32.

Pitts, B.G. (1988-89). Beyond the bars: The development of leisure-activity

management in the lesbian and gay population of America. Leisure

Information Quarterly 15(3), 4-7.

Place, G. & Beggs, B. (2012). Leisure Satisfaction in GLBT Sports Leagues.

LARNet 15(3). p.1-12.

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Pronger, B. (2000). Hosexuality and sport: Who’s winning? In J. McKay, M.A.

Messner, and D. Sabo (Eds.), Maculinities, Gender Relations, and Sport

(pp. 223-244). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishing.

Wooten, A. Crystal lake Rowing Clears Hurdle. (March 8, 2019). Retrieved

October, 23, 2009 from

http://windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/ARTICLE.php?AID=1

0942

Total Words: 1,285

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