Los Angeles — Outsports.com was awarded first place for Excellence in New Media by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

In selecting Outsports, the judges said that the site “has become an influential national source of information about LGBT athletes and their sports activities as well as homophobia in college sports. It is a credit to journalism and new media.”

“It takes the mainstream media to task. It often focuses a bit of journalistic scrutiny on other reporters’ accounts of gay and lesbian athletes.… It is lively, informative and effectively taps the web’s potential to interact with news consumers.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized by such a prestigious organization of our peers,” says Outsports.com CEO Jim Buzinski, a former sports editor at the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Outsports.com, the premiere publication for gay sports fans and athletes, was founded in 2000 by Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler Jr. and is based in Los Angeles. Outsports.com averages 1 million page views per month and boasts arguably the most active gay-themed discussion board on the Internet. With interactivity and award-winning content, Outsports.com adeptly fills the void between the gay and sports media, targeting an active, affluent audience.