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How a local softball league is changing the ‘gays don’t play sports’ stereotype

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This story is the second feature in a series highlighting local LGBTQ+ owned businesses and organizations during Pride Month. Check out the first feature on That Queer Barber in Fort Thomas here.

“Gays don’t play sports, right?”

That’s what Ohio native Cory Kearns thought when, upon coming out, he was looking for LGBTQ+ friendly sports leagues to join in Cincinnati.

One Google search later, Kearns stumbled upon Rivercity Softball League ‒ the LGBTQ+ competitive sports league of which Kearns is now president.

“I have only been out (as a gay man) for about three years now. I joined the league shortly after coming out. … This league is extremely important to me,” he said.

Rivercity Softball League consists of 19 teams ranging from competitive to recreational skill levels, which play once a week at the River City Sports Complex in Cincinnati’s California neighborhood. With humble beginnings as a small group of people playing casually in the ’80s, the league has grown to around 320 players ‒ some of whom come from as far as Indianapolis to play.

Last year, the league sent a team to the Gay Softball World Series when Cincinnati became the 53rd city to join the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA).

Rivercity’s success is a testament to both its dedication and an increasingly LGBTQ+ friendly atmosphere in Cincinnati, Matt Zeis, the league’s commissioner, said.

“While (Cincinnati) has tended to be a more conservative city, I think it has grown a lot over the past five, 10, 15 years,” he said.

At its core, Rivercity is meant to be a safe space for those who may not feel welcomed by mainstream sports leagues, Zeis explained.

“I think ‘sports’ in general can be kind of a scary word for a lot of those in the LGBTQ+ community. … So, (Rivercity Softball League is) for those that really want to play a competitive sport like softball and feel like they can do so inclusively, safely and just have fun,” he said.

The league hosted its 2024 Opening Day in April, but those interested in joining can still do so through Rivercity Softball’s new player interest form online at myrivercitysoftball.sportngin.com.

Check out The Enquirer’s full conversation with Kearns and Zeis in the video featured at the top of the page and on our TikTok. Also, keep an eye out for future installments of this series.

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