CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH HIS GYM SPORTSBAR FAMILY
IF you had told me in late 2003 that I’d be writing an article about the 20 year anniversary in 2025 of the bar that was just a glimmer of an idea at that point, I’d never have believed it. I was just beginning to work on a business plan for what at the time was a radical idea; a queer sports bar. Despite the fact that there was a booming queer sports community both nationally and in New York, the connection between nightlife and that huge untapped market had not yet been made. I’d been a lifelong athlete and had found the gay sports leagues that were already thriving when I came out in the mid-1980’s to be a godsend.
The instant connection and potential friendships gained when you joined a league or team was something that was invaluable to a shy 21-year-old farm kid trying to figure out this gay thing. I met people I would never have met had I not joined that first gay softball team: older guys who could serve as a mentor, people from different backgrounds, different races, different experiences. All served to open my eyes to what it meant to be gay, to be accepted, to build community. When it turned out our clean-up hitter was an inner city black drag queen named Echo Chambers who would crush the ball and scream “Eat it!” at the top of her lungs, I somehow knew I was home. Terrified at first, but home.
I wanted to bring that same sense of diversity, of inclusion, of community building to Gym Bar. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it, but I knew what I wanted it to look like, to feel like. That no matter who you were on the queer spectrum, you had a place with us. Your typical sports bars aren’t known for an inclusive vibe, but my time playing in various queer leagues and sports over the years had shown me the magic that happened there.
So, in late 2004, early 2005, I started building the team that would honestly become family over the next 20 years. Matt Logan, Jerry Reilly, Collin Spencer, Juan Bonilla and Erich Courage all made their way into the fold. Matt was the fool who gave me the first seed money that made the dream possible and Jerry, Juan, Collin and Erich were the first four people I hired. I have no idea how I got so lucky to have found this group of remarkable people. Over the years, we learned and grew together, figured out what it meant to own and operate a business, to build a brand. And the fact that during the process they have become true friends, as well as partners in the business, is a blessing I am constantly thankful for.
I have one last group of people I would like to thank and express my undying gratitude to. Our customers. From the many sports leagues we’ve been blessed to work with, many of whom have been with us since we first opened our doors, to the individuals who have become regulars and are the lifeblood of any bar and especially Gym Bar. You have our appreciation. You, as much as the staff, make Gym Bar the weird, wonderful place that it is. We thank you for the last 20 years and we hope you will be with us for the next 20.
