"This important and accessible book about the evolving treatment of LGBTQ athletes in organized sports should be required reading for anyone involved in the playing, coaching, and administration of organized sports. Zeigler, an expert in LGBTQ athletics and cofounder of the online magazine Outsports, revisits key moments that have shaped sports participation for openly LGBTQ athletes....The author debunks the myth that having a nonstraight athlete on a team’s roster is a 'distraction' and shares positive stories of younger athletes at high school and college levels who have come out to coaches, teammates, and family members. Zeigler argues that the dominant emotion holding back LGBTQ athletes is fear, reminding them and everyone else that courage is contagious."
--Publishers Weekly
"Outsports.com founder Zeigler gives an account of the great strides LGBTQ athletes have made in the sports world over the last 15 years...Lively and provocative, the book not only offers a much-needed perspective on what until recently has been one of the last bastions of heterosexism. It is also significant for its conscious consideration of how current developments will impact LGBTQ athletes of tomorrow. An informative, necessary work."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Zeigler is the cofounder of the online magazine Outsports, and he is a vocal and respected advocate for the LGBT sports community. Here he pens a series of essays about athletes who have come out, noting the misguided homophobia in the locker-room culture of sports, and the important role that straight athletes can play in the gay movement...Well researched, timely, and provocative, Zeigler's book provides readers with candid personal accounts of the struggles and triumphs of LGBT athletes across a wide spectrum of the sports world."
--Booklist
"Zeigler shares the stories of those athletes who are working to bust through the prejudices and stereotypes, including NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, and NFL hopeful Michael Sam. This book is one part history and one part anthem, and will resonate with anyone who has played on a team but not felt a part of one."
--Literary Hub
"If sports are your thing, then Fair Play by Cyd Zeigler should be on your roster. Zeigler, an authority on sports and the LGBT community, looks at LGBT athletes, the issues they face, and the myths they have the power to dispel. You'll read about three in-the-news gay athletes, and how gay and lesbian sports participants will one day change the current level of acceptance of LGBTQ players in the game."
--Washington Blade, Spring Arts 2016 preview
The latest from Akashic's Edge of Sports imprint.
When Cyd Zeigler started writing about LGBT sports issues in 1999, no one wanted to talk about them. Today, this is a central conversation in American society that reverberates throughout the sports world and beyond.
In Fair Play, Zeigler tells the story of how sports have transformed for LGBT athletes, diving into key moments and issues that have shaped sports for LGBT people today. He shares intimate behind-the-scenes details about various athletes and stories--including NFL Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, and NFL hopeful Michael Sam, among others--along with contextual insights about elite sports, including the overhyped "distraction" myth surrounding gay athletes.
Always the forward-thinker, Zeigler maps out the necessary steps to complete sports' transformation and fully open athletics to LGBT people.
