"Sports Out Loud" The Best Gay Sports Magazine in the World?

Aiming to fill the void of gay sports press in the marketplace, the magazine "Sports Out Loud" has hit newsstands. But, have the publishers hit a home run or is it a foul ball in the dirt?

When I first got my hands on Issue #1, I'll be honest, I was kind of disappointed. Turns out the first installment of 'SOL' (an unfortunate set of initials), is a swimsuit issue. So my first instinct was to take this magazine as anything but serious....a disappointment for a publication that not-so-modestly bills itself as "the best gay sports magazine in the world." But as the saying goes, you cannot judge a book or, by extension, a magazine by its cover. So on we go.

"Sports Out Loud" shows itself to be a fairly light magazine in terms of story volume. At only fifty pages, with 25% of that taken up by swimsuit photos, I would have hoped for more in terms of content. But what is presented here is fairly good.

An article about a support group of rehabbing drug and alcohol addicts who form a competitive softball team was a pretty nice read. The same can be said for a piece about the WNBA and that league's attitude towards lesbian fans. Profiled events include a swim meet in Paris and a gay hockey tournament in New York.

I could have done without the details and run-down on a softball tournament in Phoenix. (My guess is that if you don't live in Phoenix, you wouldn't have cared much about this article either.) And an in-depth CD review from someone who found what they think would be some good workout music...I couldn't have cared less about that either.

Recurring columns from writers who promise to be regular "Sports Out Loud" contributors were all quite solid. These include a workout feature from a personal trainer where various exercises are demonstrated, and "Ask Doctor Ross," a standard column with medical advice and answers.

My favorite piece was from a woman providing a fashion critique of sports uniforms. Comparing a 360-pound linebacker to Joan Crawford was something that probably wouldn't have crossed my mind.

All in all, for their first time out, I'd say not bad. Not a home run and not that ball in the dirt either...I'd call it more of a ground-rule double and that's pretty good for a rookie.

"Sports Out Loud" has limited availability across the country. To find out where you can pick up a copy, or to read their articles on the web, go to www.sportsoutloud.com.