Gay softball tournament visits city for first time

Monday, August 16, 2010 02:51 AM

By Jeffrey Sheban

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Columbus is playing host this week to a tournament said to be the largest gay sporting event ever played in Ohio.

The 34th annual Gay Softball World Series will run Tuesday through Saturday on the 31 playing fields at Lou Berliner Park on the South Side.

The event is taking place in Columbus for the first time, with the games free and open to the public.

Previous host cities have included Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Toronto.

In addition to the on-field action, some of the 2,500 to 3,000 athletes on 148 teams from 37 cities will attend rallies; parties; and, on Tuesday, a Columbus Clippers baseball game.

"This is a sporting event - I want to be really clear about that - but there are parties and events surrounding that," said Roy Melani of Portland, Ore., commissioner of the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance, the governing body for the tournament.

"We didn't come here to make a political statement," said Melani, 54. "We came here to play softball and enjoy the city."

He cited publications that have listed Columbus as a gay-friendly venue.

"The community has been very welcoming," he said.

That could be an understatement, given the amount of money likely to be spent by the athletes and an estimated 2,000 friends and relatives traveling with them - many in the area for the first time.

"Anytime you can bring such a large group into town, it helps the economy - especially late in the summer," said Linda Logan, executive director of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission. "It also has huge potential for return visits."

The commission worked diligently with the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association, the office of Mayor Michael B. Coleman, Experience Columbus and others to attract the event.

The economic impact, Logan said, will exceed $5million, including 4,700 "room nights" booked in Downtown hotels.

Teams will vie in four divisions, based on skill levels.

Most of the players are male, but a female bracket is set, too.

The participating teams from central Ohio are the Devils, Homewreckers, Storm, Switch Hitters, Trafik Grizzlies, Trafik Jam and XXX Threat.

jsheban@dispatch.com