Dallas Celebrates Equality By Steven Lindsey
As LGBTQ+ Pride Month comes to a close around the world, the Dallas Sports Commission reflects on the many ways it has promoted inclusion and equality while looking to the ways in which future events will continue the momentum. Dallas has become a shining example of how an international city can champion diversity and extend true Texas hospitality by welcoming everyone to experience the great things our city has to offer. Dallas boasts the fifth largest LGBTQ+ community in the United States, and the largest in the Lone Star state. Black Tie Dinner, which may return as an in-person event this fall, has the distinction of being the largest fundraising dinner in the nation. The influence of the Dallas LGBTQ+ community is further proven by the existence of a thriving business organization, the North
Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce. And Oak Lawn, the city’s LGBTQ+ business and entertainment district often lovingly referred to as “the gayborhood,” has for decades been a vibrant part of the city where people of many backgrounds come together for some laidback fun. From shopping or a meal at one of the casual restaurants that line the streets to an afternoon or night out with friends laughing over drinks on a patio or hitting the dance floor, it’s one of the most popular destinations for locals and tourists alike. Whether visiting Dallas for business or leisure, sporting events often factor into travel itineraries in a big way. Local, state, national, and international LGBTQ+ sports organizations have held a number of major events over
the years and the Dallas Sports Commission has been there to support them. The International Gay Bowling Organization Annual Mid-Year Bowling Tournament, International Gay Bowling Organization Big D Classic, International Gay Rodeo Association Finals, National Gay Basketball Association Dallas Showcase Classic, North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Cup, North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Winter Meeting, North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance Gay Softball World Series, North American Gay Volleyball Association National Championship, Pegasus Slowpitch Softball Association Big Easter Bonnet Classic, and Texas Gay Rodeo Association Finals are some of the most prominent events that have been embraced by the city of Dallas, its businesses, and citizens.
“We are a welcoming, progressive, contemporary city and have that brand. We have to do a good job of making sure the sports world sees us as that, and the Dallas Sports Commission does that. We are an international city that supports the LGBTQ community, Title IX, and women’s sports,” said former Mayor of Dallas Mike Rawlings when asked about the Dallas Sports Commission’s first five years of accomplishments. “Being authentic to where our city is remains the job of the Dallas Sports Commission, and they have accomplished that in a very meaningful way.” In 2022, Dallas will host the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) Gay Softball World Series again and history has proven that this will be a great match for the city and the players from all
We are a welcoming, progressive, contemporary city and have that brand. We have to do a good job of making sure the sports world sees us as that, and the Dallas Sports Commission does that. We are an international city that supports the LGBTQ community, Title IX, and women’s sports... - Mike Rawlings, Former Dallas Mayor
Dallas Skyline - Photo by Joseph Haubert Photography
BEHIND THE BANNER JUNE 2021 EDITION
weekend and donated a portion from each ticket to the Gregg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund (GDMAF), an organization helping people living with HIV and AIDS. And F.C. Dallas had their annual “Y’all Means All” game and gave away commemorative “Love Unites” training jerseys randomly to fans who used a special North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce link to purchase their tickets. On an international level, one of the most exciting opportunities the Dallas Sports Commission is working on is a bid to be site for the World Cup in 2026, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA is in the process of reviewing a list of 23 cities that could host the tournament, including Dallas as one of 10 American cities. A key piece of the bid includes a comprehensive Human Rights plan that includes the LGBTQ+ community among others. The decision is expected to be made in December and Dallas Sports Commission executive director Monica Paul say she thinks the city and its facilities are in a great position to win one of the coveted spots.
NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series
With a track record of putting diversity and inclusion at the forefront of everything they do, the Dallas Sports Commission will continue helping the city attract significant events in the world of athletics for years to come.
over the country who will spend time here. It will be the event’s 45th anniversary, which happily coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Pegasus Slowpitch Softball Association. “In 2014, the Pegasus Slowpitch Softball Association, a primarily LGBTQ+ organization, reached out to the Dallas Sports Commission when we were awarded the Gay Softball World Series. The Dallas Sports Commission immediately jumped on board and helped our organizing committee find resources that we never knew were available to us,” said Ryan Holdhusen, Past Commissioner, Pegasus Slowpitch Softball Association and Dallas Chair of next year’s big event. “The Dallas Sports Commission staff became an integral part of our committee and operations staff. They opened doors and helped move mountains on occasion to help us make Dallas shine as an amazing host city.” It’s not just LGBTQ+ sporting organizations that embrace the notion of Pride and equality for everyone. Our local professional sports teams have made it a point to celebrate inclusivity. The Dallas Mavericks have a special edition Pride tee available for purchase this year. The Dallas Wings hosted a game this past
NAGVA National Championship
DFW Will Again be Well- Represented in Tokyo By Stephen Hunt
The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has always been a hotbed for great athletes, whether amateur or professional. DFW has produced the likes of Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown (Dallas) and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Tamika Catchings (Duncanville).
in 2018 with Boston, will be competing for Israel in the upcoming Summer Games. Kinsler, who is Jewish, last played professionally in 2019. Two fellow former Rangers, catcher Tim Federowicz and infielder Logan Forsythe, could be among the players on Team USA in Tokyo but that squad has yet to be announced.
However, the Metroplex has also made its mark in the Olympics through the well-documented accomplishments of four-time Olympic track and field gold medalist Michael Johnson (Dallas) and Louise Ritter of Red Oak, who won the gold in high jump at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea.
BASKETBALL
At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, DFW and Texas were both well-represented with 33 athletes from the Lone Star State competing and the upcoming 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan from July 23 through August 8, will be no different. Here’s a look at who will be competing from the area:
BASEBALL
Former Texas Rangers star infielder Ian Kinsler, a fourtime All-Star who was part of a World Series champion BEHIND THE BANNER JUNE 2021 EDITION
Allisha Gray, who currently plays for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, will be part of history in Tokyo as a member of the US’ first 3-on-3 women’s Olympic basketball team. Gray, who has a wealth of experience in international play, has additional DFW ties as her college team, South Carolina, captured the 2017 NCAA women’s championship at American Airlines Center in dramatic fashion. On the standard 5-on-5 women’s basketball team is Duncanville native Ariel Atkins, who will be making her Olympic debut and looking to follow in the sizeable footsteps of Catchings, who was a four-time gold medalist in the Summer Games. Two other members of the women’s squad, Brittney Griner, who starred collegiately at Baylor and was part
of the US gold medal-winning team in 2016, and Skylar Diggins-Smith, who played three seasons for the Wings, also have local ties.
BMX
For those not in the know, BMX stands for bicycle motorcross, and maybe the sport’s biggest star right now is Plano native Connor Fields, who won the United States’ first gold in BMX at the 2016 games. A recent UNLV graduate, Fields returns to defend his title, ready to add to a big year by returning to the Olympics and possibly getting married before year’s end.
DIVING
She is just 18, but Hailey Hernandez of Southlake has already accomplished much in diving, a sport she’s been competing in since age seven. Hernandez, who will make her first Olympic appearance in Tokyo, is a 10-time junior national champion, a two-time silver medalist at the World Junior Championships and twice been the senior national champion at 3 meters.
GOLF
Bryson Dechambeau, an SMU product who won the 2020 US Open, will be part of the men’s golf contingent competing for a gold medal in Tokyo. He has won seven tournaments on the PGA Tour.
GYMNASTICS
Current Flower Mound resident Emma Malabuyo, who trains in Coppell under former Olympic Bronze medalist Kim Zmeskal, Burdette, is an alternate for the Tokyo Games. However, Malabuyo is only 18, so this won’t likely be her only shot at Olympic glory.
KARATE
Brian Irr, who trains in Plano, is among the US contingent which will compete in karate at the Summer Games for the first time. “For this opportunity to occur at this point in time, it really is special and it really is a unique position to be in,” Irr told NBC 5 in June.
SHOOTING
Vincent Hancock is only 32 but the Tokyo Games will be his fourth Olympics. Hancock, who now calls Fort Worth home with his family, won gold in skeet shooting in both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games and the Army veteran looks to further bolster his trophy case this time around. Austen Smith, 19 from Keller, will be joining Hancock in Tokyo as she will also be competing in skeet. Smith, who turns 20 the first day of the Summer Games, won gold in February at the 2021 ISSF Skeet World Cup in Italy and is considered one of the top young stars in the sport.
TAEKWONDO
Colleyville Heritage product Stephen Lambdin will make his second consecutive trip to the Summer Games. A bronze medalist in the 2011 Pan-American Games, Lambdin trains in Mansfield and competes in the heavyweight division.
TRACK AND FIELD
TCU product Ronnie Baker, who was a two-time national champion in the 60 meters and a 12-time All-American, will be competing in the 100 meters in Tokyo. Baker also threw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game at Globe Life Field in June, a nice sendoff for the ex-Horned Frog. Sha’Carri Richardson, a product of Dallas Carter HS, brings a flair to the sport not seen since the days of Florence Griffith-Joyner, considered the fastest woman of all-time, back in the late 1980s. Richardson, who was a national champion in the 100 meters and a runner-up in the 200 meters as a freshman at LSU, cites FloJo as a major influence on her style. And when she qualified for the Summer Games earlier this year, the magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost. “I am an Olympian,” Richardson told NBC 5. “A dream since I’ve been young, so being happy is an understatement.” Mansfield Lake Ridge HS product Jasmine Moore, currently a collegiate standout at Georgia, also qualified for the Tokyo Games in the triple jump, placing third in the US Olympic Trials. Moore, the 2016 Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year, is appearing in her first games.
VOLLEYBALL
Coppell product Chiaka Ogbogu, who has not only starred locally as a high school standout, but also statewide for the University of Texas and internationally for several professional teams abroad, now gets the chance to bolster her international resume by appearing in her first Olympics as part of a 12-member US squad coached by legendary volleyballer Karch Kiraly. Joining her in that group is the team’s most veteran player, Jordan Larson who at 34 will be competing in her third Olympics. Larson was part of the US team at the 2012 London Games which win silver and the group at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio which captured bronze. Earlier this year, she also was front and center as part of Athletes Unlimited, who brought women’s professional volleyball to Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas.
THE PROS AT HOME IN JULY SUN
MON
TUE 1
WED
THU 1
7:00 PM
FRI 2
VS. LA 4
5
7:05 PM
6
VS. DET
7:05 PM
7:00 PM
S AT 3
VS. CHI 7
VS. DET
1:05 PM
8
9
VS. DET
7:05 PM
VS. OAK
10
VS. OAK
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
29
30
7:05 PM
VS. ARI
BEHIND THE BANNER JUNE 2021 EDITION
28
7:05 PM
VS. ARI
7:05 PM
VS. SEA
3:05 PM
29 31
6:05 PM
VS. SEA
LATEST FROM
THE COMMISSION Marketing Manager
Welcome to the Team Join us in welcoming two of the newest Dallas Sports Commission staff members
Volunteers of America Classic Tees Off in The Colony June 28 Through July 4 The #VOAClassic is a signature community event, and stands alone as the only Official LPGA Tour event in Texas. The tournament mission is to be the premiere event in North Texas, serve as champions of Volunteers of America’s message and create an atmosphere that is fun for the entire family.
TICKETS
Alex Gilbert Alex’s nine years of experience in the events industry includes time with ESPN and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. Her background is in graphic design, marketing, PR, and social media management.
Events Intern
Colin Rankin Colin is a Dallas native. He is a recent graduate of the University of Arkansas, with degrees in both Marketing and Recreation & Sport Management.
UPCOMING EVENTS
JUNE 11 - AUGUST 23 NERF Challenge // Fair Park
J U N E 2 5 - J U LY 3 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs // Toyota Stadium & Soccer Center
J U N E 2 8 - J U LY 4
Volunteers of America Classic // Old American Golf Club
J U LY 6 - 8
Clash of The Clubs
// Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas
J U LY 9 - 1 1
Big State Flava Jam
// Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas
J U LY 1 0 - 1 8
Concacaf* Gold Cup, Group A // DFW Area Venues
J U LY 2 5
Concacaf Gold Cup Quarterfinals // AT&T Stadium
* The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football
BEHIND THE BANNER JUNE 2021 EDITION
CONCACAF GOLD CUP MATCHES
IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH
July 10th – El Salvador v. Curaçao – Toyota Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 10th – Mexico v. TBD – AT&T Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 14th – Mexico v. Curacao – Cotton Bowl Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 14th – El Salvador v. TBD – Toyota Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 18th – Mexico v. El Salvador – Cotton Bowl Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 18th – Martinique v. TBD – Toyota Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 18th – Curacao v. TBD – Toyota Stadium
TICKETS + INFO
July 25th – Quarterfinals – AT&T Stadium (2 Matches)
TICKETS + INFO
STAY
CONNECTED Sign Up For Our Newsletter Sign Up
@dallassports.org
Visit Us Online dallassports.org
Subscribe to Mic Drop
@dallas_sports @dallas_sports_commission
Subscribe Here
www.dallasworldcup2026.com
@worldcupdallas
@worldcupdallas
@worldcupdallas