Pride Bowl brings annual flag football tournament to Chicago lakefront ahead of Pride Parade
Before the Pride Parade steps off on Sunday in Chicago, Pride Bowl Champions will be crowned at the flag football tournament at Montrose Beach.
Pride Bowl's annual tournament, hosted by the Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association, draws players from all over the country.
The tournament features 32 open+ teams and 24 women's+ teams competing across seven divisions, with more than 800 players.
Some of the players are former college athletes. All of them bring a ton of intensity and pride to the field.
The Pride Bowl flag football tournament started in 2008. It connects members of the LGBTQ+ and ally communities together.
Every player and fan shares a love of football and competition.
For the past two years, the Chicago Bears have thrown their support behind Pride Bowl. The team has supported the tournament's growth through club donations and volunteers.
"It is really important to get such a huge backing from the professional level, and it adds some legitimacy to flag football in general," Chicago Sparks player Katy Oldach said.
"When you have that Bears' stamp on it, when their logos are plastered on our shirts, on the giveaway items that we have today, like people want to stop and be like, 'What is that? How can I be a part of it?'" said Chicago Blaze captain Logan Oppegard, who also works for the Bears in corporate hospitality and on the team's DEI council.
The tournament started Friday morning with round robin play. The tournament's playoff bracket will be on Saturday, with champions crowned in each division.
"It's a badge of honor to win Pride Bowl. It's our second biggest national tournament of the year," Oppegard said.
Players ditch the pads and helmets, but bring NFL-like intensity. Some athletes, like Xavier Colvin, are seasoned football players.
"He is a force in the league," Oldach said.
The tournament is all about competition and community for Oldach.
"I started four years ago. This is my fourth Pride Bowl, and I have never been around such an empowering queer community in the athletic world," she said. "We play for our home turf. This is our tournament. It's Pride Weekend. We bring a lot of that energy to this tournament, and that's why we're playing out here today, and that's why we want to rep Chicago well."
The Chicago teams playing in Pride Bowl will also take part in the Pride Parade on Sunday.
