It’s not every day that West Hollywood feels like Chavez Ravine, but on Saturday night, it came close. When the Dodgers clinched Game 7 of the World Series, Gym Bar WeHo erupted and local writer Cyd Zeigler was there to capture it.
In a piece for OutSports, Zeigler who co-founded the site describes a scene that could have only happened here. It was WeHo energy from first pitch to final out.
Zeigler writes of fans too stressed to watch, of champagne showers when the Dodgers finally sealed the win, and describes an emotional moment watching two young gay fans celebrating the moment, something that was practically unheard of a generation ago. It’s a snapshot of how far both sports and queer visibility have come from the days when being gay and loving baseball felt like opposite teams.
Gym Bar, owned by Dodgers executive Erik Braverman and his husband Jonathan Cottrell, was the heart of the celebration. Their place has become the go-to home base for WeHo’s LGBTQ+ sports crowd, a safe space where fandom meets pride.
As Zeigler notes, when those final fireworks went up across Los Angeles, the cheers inside Gym Bar matched them beat for beat. It wasn’t just about baseball, it was about belonging.
Catch Cyd’s full story on OutSports, where he reflects on how far LGBTQ sports fans have come and what this game meant for WeHo’s own Boys in Blue.
Speaking of WeHo’s own Boys in Blue, check out this video Erik sent us of some great behind-the-scenes of today’s celebrations at Dodger Stadium. Erik described it to us as a “wild ride!”
Onward to the Super Bowl! Between the Rams 5-2 and Chargers 6-3 season so far (each sitting in 2nd place in their divisions) we can do this! See ya at GYM Bar.
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