Gay Sports Fans Find Community at Woofs

Gregory Hughes has always been a huge sports fan. When he moved from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta in 1992, he purchased tickets to watch his new local teams, the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Hawks. But he didn’t easily find the community he was looking for.

“I didn’t know many other gay men who were so passionate about sports,” he said.

But he quickly discovered Atlanta’s thriving LGBTQ+ sports leagues and joined the bowling and softball leagues. Eventually, he met more gay men who enjoyed playing and watching sports.

In 1993, he hosted his first Super Bowl party at his home for about 30 friends. Nine years later, about 400 people gathered at Hughes’ house to watch the Super Bowl. It was time for a bigger venue – it was time for Atlanta to have its own gay sports bar.

“The problem was, we couldn’t go to a Taco Mac or a Hudson Grille and hang out, watch sports, hug our friends, kiss our boyfriend and kiss our girlfriend in those environments,” he said. Hughes said. “I felt like there were enough gay people who would like to play sports and enjoy a place where they could be themselves.”

In November 2002, Hughes and two other investors opened Woofs Sports Bar on Piedmont Avenue and invited the hundreds of people on Hughes’ Super Bowl party roster.

“We opened the first day with a great crowd and we’ve been successful ever since,” said Hughes, now the bar’s sole owner.

In 2019, Woofs moved from Piedmont Avenue to a new, expanded space at 494 Plasters Ave. BORN. The bar survived the COVID-19 pandemic, Hughes said, because loyal customers continued to order their favorite sports bar food — burgers, tacos, chicken wings, beer.

“Our customers are like family,” he said.