Organizers from across Arizona gathered at the state Capitol on
Monday to mark the start of Pride Month and push back against what they
called a continued onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed by the state
Legislature.

While LGBTQ+ rights groups have often used Pride
Month to criticize Republicans for targeting trans and queer youth, two
Democrats were also named this year for advancing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
and legislation: U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Last week, The Dispatch
published an interview with Gallego in which he broke from fellow
Democrats on the issue of transgender youth athletes, saying they should
not be allowed to participate in youth sports.

“As a parent of a daughter, I think it’s legitimate that parents are
worried about the safety of their daughters, and I think it’s legitimate
for us to be worried also about fair competition,” Gallego said. “And I
think the parents of these trans children also are worried legitimately
about the health and wellness of their kids. There are some sports that
some of these trans children should not be playing.”

Gallego said there should be separation based on biology, adding:
“Hey, listen, we love you. We want you to be part of our community, but
this is just the one place you can’t play, and let’s find other
activities for you to be involved.”

His comments echoed “separate
but equal” arguments once used to justify banning gay and lesbian people
from teaching or serving in the military—language that LGBTQ+ advocates
say has no place in progressive politics.

Still, Gallego appears to be applying similar logic to trans youth.

Following publication of the interview, LGBTQ+ advocates and progressive groups in Arizona—and nationwide—voiced their dismay, saying Gallego has abandoned the values that won their support during his Senate campaign.

“Senator
Ruben Gallego’s recent remarks targeting transgender youth have left
many of us in Arizona, and across the nation, feeling disheartened and
outraged,” said a petition issued by Scott Blades,
executive director of the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network. “These
comments serve to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and discrimination
against an already vulnerable community, undermining the principles of
equality and inclusion that are fundamental to our society.”

At the Capitol, youth leaders and young people directly called out Gallego’s shift.

“We
must ensure our schools are safe spaces,” said Kado Stewart, a program
director at Phoenix-based LGBTQ+ youth organization one•n•ten, which
operates statewide. “That means ensuring our transgender students have
the ability to participate in school athletics, which are proven to
improve mental health, reduce anxiety and depression, and build teamwork
skills. Those who want to participate in sports shouldn’t have to find
other activities.”

Violet DuMont, a transgender student from Tucson, addressed Gallego directly.

“Hey
Ruben, if you can’t stand up for trans kids, maybe Congress isn’t the
right place for you—and let’s find another activity for you to make fair
competition,” DuMont said.

Gov. Katie Hobbs, a longtime LGBTQ+
ally who has vetoed numerous anti-trans bills, was also criticized for
signing HB 2112—a sweeping anti-pornography law that has been used in
other states to label LGBTQ+ content, such as books and sex education
materials, as “adult content.”

“Few organizations across Arizona
actually supported this piece of legislation, and the governor still
decided to sign it,” said Harrison Redmond, a community organizer with
the ACLU of Arizona. “LGBTQ+ youth deserve to be seen, heard, and have
access to medically accurate, identity-affirming, and life-saving
information readily available online. HB 2112 risks taking that away—and
Gov. Hobbs was wrong to sign this bill, full stop.”

The statements challenging Hobbs and Gallego were made at a youth day
for LGBTQ+ people at the Capitol. The event is an annual gathering on
the start of Pride month hosted by Rep. Lorena Austin of Mesa with the
help of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups such as Human Rights Campaign of Arizona,
ACLU of Arizona, the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce, and
Education Action Alliance, formerly known as GLSEN-AZ.

Youth are
given a chance to speak confidentially to Democratic lawmakers
face-to-face on how legislation and politics affect their daily lives.

But
more than an opportunity to express grievances publicly, the day is a
celebration for queer youth to show up for each other in numbers. One
Tucson student, Mya Figueroa, urged her fellow trans youth to stay
hopeful and positive: “I’m proud of myself and my siblings,” she said.
“Don’t forget that you are not alone, you are loved, and needed in all
spaces. You are whole just as you are.”

Vivien Palmieri hit a home run as Warren Music Conservatory beat Jones Chevrolet 23-12.

Peytynn Kirby and Alliesun Woodin each had a double in the win.

Khloe Morse was the winning pitcher and Brooke Scott took the loss.

——

Katelyn Krall was the winning pitcher for I.O.O.F. in a 16-3 win over Superior Plus Propane.

Gianna Blankenship doubled and Alexis Campman took the loss for Superior Plus Propane.

Izzy Sullivan, a rising junior on the Nevada women’s basketball team, was named Monday to Ireland’s under-20 national team.

The squad led by coach Karl Kilbride named its final 12-player roster, which includes only two new players who will make their EuroBasket debuts, including Sullivan.

The Irish team will compete at the FIBA Youth EuroBasket in Miskolc, Hungary in Group B in August along with Great Britain and Ukraine. Ireland will play Ukraine on Aug. 3 and Great Britain on Aug. 4. Sullivan is the only Division I college player to make Ireland’s roster.

A 5-foot-10 guard, Sullivan has averaged 9.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 25.5 minutes per game in two seasons at Nevada. She’s shot 38 percent from the field, including 35.5 percent from three, in 59 games with 38 starts. Sullivan was born in Dublin but moved to the Seattle area in her youth when her father got a job with Microsoft. It’s in the Pacific Northwest where Sullivan found basketball.

“They just put me into it for something to do, like the Parks and Rec foundation we had by me,” Sullivan said during a Q&A with NSN in January 2024. “And then I just fell in love with it, just watching NBA and WNBA and college sports. It just kind of grew from there and they kind of learned the game along with me.”

Sullivan, who played for Eastside Catholic High in Sammamish, Wash., still makes regular trips to Ireland.

“They’re a lot of fun,” Sullivan said. “It’s pretty busy. Everybody wants to see you, so you’re busy every day, but especially in the short break we have. I’ll probably have a week there, so I just try to make the most out of it and see as many people as possible. … They’re really just huge supporters even though they’re not close to America. I love it there. I love all my family there. They’ve just been a big part of my journey knowing that I have that support.”

Ireland’s under-20 roster includes Sullivan, Lucy Hynes, Aisling Moran, Ava Walshe, Caitlin Gloeckner, Emer Dunne, Emma Gribben, Emma Tolan, Grace Prenter, Katie O’Sullivan, Rachel Lynch and Rebecca Sexton.

“We’ve been so impressed by the intensity levels and commitment from the group over the last few months,” Kilbride said in a news release. “Over the course of two open trials and six training weekends, they’ve made our lives as coaches really easy on the court, but that makes these kinds of decisions all the harder. We’re in a really enviable position, where we have to leave players behind who are more than good enough to play for Ireland, but were just unlucky this particular year.

“We have an absolutely hectic summer ahead with six games against Iceland, Croatia and Switzerland before we kick off our EuroBasket campaign proper against Ukraine on August 3. We’re so excited to be working with the group we’ve selected and with the commitment levels and improvements shown so far we have a chance to have a really successful summer ahead.”

KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It looks likely that Kalamazoo’s new $40 million youth sports tournament facility will be built in the city of Kalamazoo.

Discover Kalamazoo Director Jane Ghosh told the city commission last night that a selection committee will recommend 15-acres on the west edge of town near U.S. 131.

“Specifically in the Westgate area, between Drake Road and 131, North of the Holiday Inn,” says Ghosh.

The Kalamazoo County board will take the final vote, but they are expected to go with the recommendation.

That location was picked over sites in Portage and in Texas Township.

Ghosh says the location will help the facility achieve one of its goals, and that’s to provide a place for many young athletes who may not have a place to play.

“Local use of this facility will be prioritized Monday through Thursday, and that will significantly increase participation opportunities for underserved youth.”

She says its construction will be fully funded by a fee on hotel rooms, and its local operation will be funded by regional basketball and volleyball tournaments on the weekends.

There may be winners and losers in the games, but the facility will generate mostly winners, with tourism and hotel rooms up and the creation of over 600 new jobs.

“It means an annual economic impact of impact of almost $50 million.”

Ghosh say their current goal is to have it operational by 2027, about the same time that the new downtown arena could be ready to open.

Published on June 03, 2025

The Parks and Recreation Department today announced that registration is open for fall team sports, including adult volleyball, kickball, softball, and youth NFL Flag football. Adult leagues are for those age 18 and older. Youth leagues are for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. 

Online registration is available at teamsideline.com/lincolnne for the following leagues: 

• Adult volleyball – Coed leagues play Thursday nights, and women’s leagues play Monday nights. Recreational and competitive leagues include an eight-game season and a double-elimination tournament. Games are played September 4 through late November at the Calvert Recreation Center, 4500 Stockwell St. The fee is $311 for early online registration July 7 through July 13. Regular registration is $322 per team and the registration deadline is August 10. 

• Adult slow-pitch softball – Recreational and competitive coed leagues and men’s leagues include an a six-week regular season and single elimination tournament. Games will be played at Mahoney, Holmes, and Ballard fields beginning August 10. The regular registration fee is $306 per team until July 13, and late registration is $328. The registration deadline is July 20. 

• Adult kickball – Outdoor competitive and recreation leagues are scheduled on Sundays at the Lewis ballfield complex. The six-game season is from mid-August through October and includes a single elimination tournament. The fee is $253 per team and the registration deadline is July 20. Teams require a minimum of 10 players. 

• Youth NFL flag football – Five-on-five coed play is offered for children in kindergarten through eighth grade – as of the 2025-26 school year. Games are played on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays at Densmore ballfields from August 18 through mid-October. Registration fees through July 14 are $98 for the first child and $93 for each additional child in the same family. Late registration fees from July 15 through 21 are $108 for the first child and $103 for each additional child in the same family. Need-based scholarships are available.  

“Team sports are a great opportunity for friends, coworkers, and church groups to play a fun and friendly sport recreationally or competitively having a good time together for a night out,” said Monica Manning, Team Sports Supervisor. 

Official/referee positions are available for team sports games. Positions pay $26 per game. Contact the Team Sports office at 402-441-7892 for more information. 

For more information about adult and youth team sports, call 402-441-7892 or visit teamsideline.com/lincolnne. For more information about Lincoln Parks and Recreation programs, visit parks.lincoln.ne.gov.  

I assume it’s just the acidic mix of sweat and cheap hair gel streaming down my forehead that stings my eyes. But it’s teenage heartbreak playing out at center ice. My anger feels tangible. Rage knots in my throat as I wait in the postgame handshake line. Yet when I finally grip the hand of my hockey opponent, whose elbow popped my jaw, something shifts and my thirst for vengeance ebbs.

In his eyes, I can see a kid like me, with homework to get to.

Those memories of emotional strain, decades ago, stand in contrast to the curated, frictionless experiences that I worry define so much of boys’ lives today. In an era of AI, video games, cheap dopamine, solitude, porn, sports betting and fantasy sports, the frictions of youth sports feel more urgent. On the ice, field, or court, you can’t scroll away from an elbow or a benching; you can’t summon talent with a sharper ChatGPT prompt; you can’t order grit online; you can’t deny the limits of your genetics or preparation.

Striving to win, alongside other boys on a shared mission, remains a dopamine high hard to attain elsewhere. And even though losing a meaningful game, injuries, and toxic competitiveness all hurt, these experiences are processed and spread across a team instead of being stomached alone.

Beyond physical fitness, youth sports – regardless of the competition level – can be a pathway to identity formation, self-efficacy, bodily awareness, and tempering emotional highs and lows that boys need. Sports — with the mandate to move, then move on — should belong to all boys, rich or poor, highly athletic or not. However, youth sports participation has declined among boys over the last decade. Data suggests that while American boys are playing sports at lower rates, girls’ participation remains stable. The downward trend among boys is disheartening, especially as it’s more pronounced among low-income youth, according to a report from the American Institute for Boys and Men (AIBM). Only 25 percent of low-income boys participate in sports, while the overall participation rate for boys is 53 percent.

With boys and young men falling behind in educational achievement and measures of mental health, sports emerge as an valuable domain in which to practice rebounding from setbacks.

Why Are Boys Playing Fewer Sports?

AIBM’s report uses recent data to shed light on why low-income boys may be playing sports less, including:

• Increasing costs
• Academic ineligibility
• Scarcity of coaches
• Less casual play with an increase in sports specialization
• Early sports specialization leading to burnout, injuries, and fewer multisport athletes
• Screen time; 61% of teenage boys play video games daily
• Lingering impact of COVID program closures
• Increase in concussion concerns

Resilience, Learned Relationally

Participation in organized sports is linked to reduced anxiety and depression, and its effect seems to be greater in team sports. For less advantaged youth, research suggests that sports can provide social and emotional benefits.

Resilience is the ability to “weather and recover” from adversity. Organized team sports can be a level playing field where a kid’s effort is rewarded, unlike schools and broken social systems that may be stacked against them. For a fidgety boy on the brink of giving up, bouncing back may best be learned in action, embodied, alongside peers and coaches.

One study found that sports, when combined with supportive relationships, can help kids overcome the harmful effects of abuse, neglect, or growing up around addiction; another demonstrated that teens who play sports tend to have greater self-control, stronger social skills, and higher empathy than those who don’t, especially if they play multiple sports.

The Much-Needed Masculinity of Bouncing Back

An overlooked aspect of masculinity involves the guts to take your shot and then miss (whether it’s getting cut from a team or denied after asking a girl out); to take an “L” like a champ and say, “My bad.”

This is exactly what youth sports can teach at a time when many boys are falling behind. Sports offer an arena in which to calibrate dominance and sensitivity, when to fight or finesse. Today, a boy, shaped by the algorithms he’s fed, may not tune into male leaders who are relatable and emotionally grounded. In their place are wealthy guys or “manfluencers” who don’t own their missteps, accept results, or make concession speeches.

Not backing down, hinting at conspiracy, crying foul, and willful denial are confessions of insecurity made with bravado. But a real team doesn’t pretend you won when the scoreboard says otherwise. That lesson deepens when boys watch grown, professional athletes, after a long run in the playoffs, line up to shake hands, battered but still embracing their opponents. From this, they absorb a masculinity rooted in resilience, accountability, and grace. A boy recognizes: I, too, can strive hard and accept loss.

From the Field to Real Life

Does sports participation lead to resilience, or are resilient kids more likely to participate in sports? Data indicates it runs both ways. Some studies find that resilience gained in playing sports can transfer to resilience in other parts of life, but only with deliberate reflection and meaning-making. Research suggests resilience is a dynamic process rather than a static trait, meaning that it evolves and changes over time, depending on the situation.

Perhaps boys can better learn to bounce back with the help of male teachers and/or coaches who place losing and winning in context, and who model emotional intelligence with skillful communication (rather than barking orders). Communities could invest more in free weekend leagues staffed by volunteer coaches to help organize athletic competition without financial barriers.

The current trend of specialization in youth sports is worrying. It’s important to reduce youth sports costs through lower fees and to expand casual, non-competitive play options as well. Just as income ought not impact access to sports, neither should athleticism.

Let’s create opportunities for boys to fall and get back up, not just on playing fields but relational ones, where humility and community can take root.