Outsports’ Emmy win breaks down barriers in queer women's sports storytelling

Outsports just proved once again that queer stories belong everywhere--even on the biggest stage in television.

The long-running LGBTQ+ sports publication took home an Emmy Award for its original short-form docuseries Ballin’ Out, which follows several out players and coaches from the USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team as they prepared for the 2023 World Championships in Dubai. The series, directed by Michiel Thomas (Game Face), won for Outstanding Short Form Program, marking a first-of-its-kind win for the site.

The five-part project is both powerful and deeply personal. Produced during Outsports’ partnership with Vox Media, the series was spearheaded by co-founder Cyd Zeigler, who first met Team USA legend and coach Stephanie Wheeler at an LGBTQ+ sports summit more than a decade ago. Years later, that meeting would spark a story that captured the grit, grace, and humor of queer athletes who rarely get the spotlight.

Onstage at the Daytime Emmys, director Thomas accepted the award on behalf of the team, thanking the players, coaches, and staff for “welcoming us and letting us film your journeys.” His speech—humble, heartfelt, and brimming with community pride—perfectly reflected the spirit of Outsports itself: telling stories that mainstream sports media so often overlook.