The ‘Gay Bowl’ flag football championship is coming to Minnesota for the first time
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Nikhil Enugula moved to Minneapolis from Denver in 2019 and was looking for LGBTQ+ community when it was suggested to him he should try flag football. Enugula is an immigrant and had never played American football before but he was willing to try it.
He soon understood the hype and went all-in on the sport, eventually getting elected as the commissioner of Minnesota Gay Flag Football League in 2024. In that role, he has helped bring the nationwide LGBTQ+ flag football championship to Minnesota for the first time.
Minnesota is hosting the Gay Bowl XXVI from Oct. 8-11 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. More than 2,250 LGBTQ+ flag football athletes from dozens of leagues across the country that are members of the National Gay Flag Football League will be present, and the games are free to watch.
Enugula likened the Gay Bowl to the NFL Super Bowl. Most recently, it has been held in San Diego, Seattle and Austin, Texas.
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Minnesota’s league has eight teams that play each other and three that travel to compete with teams from other leagues. But, as the popularity of the sport continues to rise, Enugula expects them to increase by at least two more teams that will do intraleague play next year. Adding fuel to the fire is that flag football will also become an Olympic event for the first time in 2028.
The Minnesota Vikings, who invest in youth flag football teams, are sponsors of the event.
“What we take pride in is being a space for queer people and helping them fall in love with a sport called flag football,” Enugula said. “We talk a lot about creating voices for people, especially for trans and non-binary people and people of color. Historically, these spaces were never accessible for them.”
Ruby Chazin is the captain for the Women’s+ Division traveling team, the Minnesota Hot Dish. She has been playing with the league for four years and says it has taught her a lot about herself and what she is capable of. All of this, she noted, would not have been possible in the traditionally heteronormative space of football.
“To realize that I am still getting better at things just shows me what I can do with myself, not just in football, but other things I apply myself to as well,” Chazin said.
Everyone is drafted if they sign up for the league regardless of experience, said Enugula. While their season will end soon, he encourages those interested to inquire about the spring season next year and follow the league on social media.
On Sunday, the championship games will run from 2-5 p.m. in the south fields.
