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Facebook gallery | World Outgames Miami 2017 reception - Sept. 16, 2014

World Outgames Miami 2017 host committee members review the accomplishments of the past year and explain what lies ahead in the planning process for World OutGames Miami when the city expects to welcome more than 15,000 participants and spectators from around the world.

Click here to view and tag the photos. Steve Rothaus / Miami Herald Staff.

World OutGames Miami 2017 to host 2nd annual community reception on Tuesday, Sept. 16

News release from World OutGames 2017:

MIAMI BEACH – September 11, 2014 – The host committee of World OutGames Miami 2017 will present the 2nd Annual World OutGames Miami Community Reception on Tuesday, September 16, 2014, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., in the B Ballroom, second level, Miami Beach Convention Center. During the reception, members of the host committee will review the accomplishments of the past year and explain what lies ahead in the planning process for World OutGames Miami when the city expects to welcome more than 15,000 participants and spectators from around the world.

The reception is free and open to the public with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and 2-for-1 Happy Hour cocktails. RSVPs are requested to Miami@OutGames.org by September 15.

In addition to updates from the host committee, civic and community leaders will be on hand to share some special surprises and voice their support of World OutGames Miami. Volunteer and participant opportunities will also be showcased where individuals can join the organizing effort or register to compete in the Games.

In addition to sporting competitions in more than 30 individual sports, World OutGames Miami will feature cultural activities that highlight the local flavor of South Florida and a global Human Rights Conference to discuss issues being faced by the LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex) community from around the world.

Dates for World OutGames Miami are May 26 to June 4, 2017 with events taking place at venues throughout Miami Beach and Miami.

The Miami Beach-Miami Sports & Cultural League is the non-profit host organization for World OutGames Miami 2017. World OutGames is licensed by GLISA International (the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association) and takes place every four years in a different global city. 2017 will mark the first time that the Games have been held in the United States. Previous hosts have been Montreal, Copenhagen and Antwerp.  World OutGames is open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation, and all competitions are arranged according to the skill level of the athletes.  Cultural and human rights components make the event a well-rounded experience for athletes and non-athletes alike. For more information on World OutGames Miami 2017, visit www.facebook.com/OutGamesMiami.

World OutGames Miami 2017 is made possible with the support of the Florida Sports Foundation, Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau, City of Miami Beach, and Miami Beach Visitor and Convention Authority.

Michael Sam's second chance comes on Dallas Cowboys practice squad

BY SCHUYLER DIXON

AP SPORTS WRITER

IRVING, Texas -- Michael Sam waded through a crowd of reporters and was settling in front of yet another bank of cameras when someone asked if this was what it was like in St. Louis.

"The heat?" Sam said, drawing laughter from two dozen or so people surrounding him as he stood in front of a large Dallas Cowboys star on a wall just outside the locker room.

No, the latest version of the circus after the league's first openly gay player signed to the practice squad of America's Team. He's unlikely to get into the opener Sunday against San Francisco and might still face long odds of joining an active roster anytime soon.

But Sam got his second chance to make it in the NFL four days after the Rams released the seventh-round pick when they had to cut the roster to 53 players.

"You guys follow me around like hawks," Sam said after going through his first late-morning workout with the Cowboys. "I've been tired of it since February. I expected it."

Click here to read more.

Sources: Michael Sam to visit Dallas Cowboys

BY CHAREAN WILLIAMS

FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM

The Dallas Cowboys will host Michael Sam at Valley Ranch on Wednesday, according to sources. The defensive end will take a physical, and the Cowboys expect to sign him to the practice squad if all goes well during his visit.

Sam became the first openly gay NFL player to be drafted when the St. Louis Rams selected him in the seventh round. He had three sacks and 11 tackles in the preseason, but the Rams cut Sam on Saturday. Their 10-player practice squad did not include Sam.

Click here to read more.

Florida Agenda publisher Bobby Blair, tennis legend Billie Jean King promote his coming-out memoir

Bobby Blair, publisher of the gay Florida Agenda and Guy magazine, shares this photo of him with tennis legend Billie Jean King, taken at a book signing in New York for the U.S. Open.

Blair, a former world-ranked tennis player, recently published a coming-out memoir, Hiding Inside The Baseline.

King is quoted on the book's jacket:

“Bobby Blair is committed to providing a safe and confidential support team for LGBT athletes around the globe and by sharing his own experiences and showing how important it is to live your truth, I know he will make a major impact in the lives of those he reaches through his foundation and his new book.”

Michael Sam gets last chance at Rams' preseason game Thursday against Miami Dolphins

BY TIM REYNOLDS

AP SPORTS WRITER

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Michael Sam is about to get one last chance to show the St. Louis Rams why he belongs on their 53-man roster.

For him — and everyone else on NFL roster bubbles — a preseason finale is anything but meaningless.

Sam and the Rams visit the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night, the last exhibition for both clubs and the last opportunity for players to state their cases before teams pare down their rosters to the NFL-mandated 53 by Saturday afternoon.

"I will be playing a lot more," Sam told the Rams' website in a videotaped interview.

The NFL's first openly gay player is battling for a spot on St. Louis' defensive line, which just happens to be a position where the Rams are extremely deep. Sam has shown some flashes of great potential — his sacks of Johnny Manziel against Cleveland last week maybe foremost among them — but knows those plays alone won't win him a job.

Click here to read more.

WNBA players Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson engaged

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOENIX -- Women's basketball stars Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson are engaged.

Griner proposed to Johnson and both posted it on social media, with Griner showing a photo of her on one knee with a ring in her hand in front of Johnson on her Instagram account. Griner plays for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and Johnson for the Tulsa Shock.

In the post, Griner wrote: "Last Night was a Night to Remember(,) I became the happiest person on this earth! (almost pass out but when that one word came out I came back to life) Me and my baby @missvol25 are in it for Life!"

Johnson also had a photo on her Instagram account of Griner lying in bed with an engagement ring resting on her shoulder.

Griner has embraced her role as a prominent gay athlete since finishing a record-breaking career at Baylor. She came out last year and wrote a candid memoir, "In My Skin," that was critical of college coach Kim Mulkey.

Click here to read more.

Arizona State Sun Devils lineman Edward ‘Chip’ Sarafin tells magazine he's gay

BY JOHN MARSHALL

AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State offensive lineman Edward Sarafin has told a local magazine he is gay, making him the first active Division I football player to come out.

A fifth-year senior, Sarafin told Phoenix-based Compete, a magazine for gay sports, that he began telling teammates about his sexual orientation last spring.

"It was really personal to me, and it benefited my peace of mind greatly," he said in the magazine's August issue.

The walk-on lineman, who goes by the nickname Chip, follows the precedent set by St. Louis Rams linebacker Michael Sam. Sam told teammates he was gay during his playing days, but did not come out publicly until after finishing his career at Missouri.

Massachusetts sophomore Derrick Gordon became the first active openly-gay Division I basketball player when he came out in April.

Brooklyn Nets forward Jason Collins became the first active openly-gay player in one of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues when he came out to Sports Illustrated in April 2013. He became the first openly-gay player to play in an NBA game after signing with the Nets last season.

Numerous other athletes have come out as gay the past couple of years, opening the door for players like Sarafin to do it without much fear of repercussions from teammates or coaches.

"The entire athletics department is extremely proud of Chip and is unequivocally supportive of him," Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said in a statement.

Click here to read more.

Video | President Barack Obama welcomes Gay Games participants to Cleveland

On YouTube:

President Barack Obama welcomes Gay Games 9 participants to the event, held in Cleveland and Akron. The President's video welcome was shared at GG9 Opening Ceremony at Quicken Loans Arena, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The games are underway through Saturday.