Rugby has long had a reputation as one of the most physically demanding (not to mention dangerous) sports, but unlike American football (where the players wear sissy stuff like padding), there have been small but notable steps taken when it comes to gay inclusion. Australian rugby player Ian Roberts came out, spoke about how disappointed he is that there are not more openly gay players, and even appeared in Superman Returns. And then of course there is the very gay-friendly UK rugby star, Ben Cohen, who has gained attention for embracing his gay fanbase.

LOGOonline is premiering a 4-part documentary series about one season in the life of a predominantly gay rugby team, the Chicago Dragons, who are playing in a straight league. Their goal for their second season is to ... well, to win a game ... and it's a hilarious and enlightening look into machismo, self-doubt, and teamwork.

My favorite is part three, where they head south to face the Atlanta Bucks, and some interesting self-hatred comes out when they admit to being terrified of losing to "another gay team". During the visit, we're treated to the curious sight of two opposing sports teams having a pre-match party, and after the goodie-bags of condoms and lube, the question of whether it's appropriate for adversaries to hook up.

Will the Dragons win a game? Will the two team mascots get it on after downing jello shots? Tune in and see! We've posted the first episode after the jump for your viewing pleasure, or head on over the Dragons' website to learn more, and maybe sign up for the bachelor auction coming up next month.

Click on through for the first episode! (And yes, Logo does own AfterElton.com, but that doesn't make gay rugby players any less compelling, we promise!)

For the moment, at least, I'm pretty excited about the news that a new edition of The Match Game is in the works. Like many a game show with a panel of celebrities, The Match Game is at its best when it has a gay sensibility at work: the definitive 70's edition had Charles Nelson Reilly as a frequent panelist, along with gay faves like Betty White, Marcia Wallace and Reilly's verbal sparring partner, Brett Somers.

Reilly often stole the show I'm particularly fond of this clip where host Gene Rayburn gets tired of Reilly's one-liners and hands him the emcee mike:

When the GSN revived I've Got a Secret in 2006, they played up the show's gay sensibility by using an all-gay panel made up of Billy Bean, Suzanne Westenhoefer, Jermaine Taylor and Frank DeCaro. The results were pretty great. I'll keep my fingers crossed that this new Match Game tries something similar.

Back in the 70s all that innuendo flying around was still a little bit naughty and shocking. Still, part of the fun was that the panel knew how to play off of each other:

Out former baseballer Billy Bean

In a continued effort to bring you all that is important in the world of gay entertainment and ensure that you are being spoon-fed images of gorgeous, commoditized manflesh, we present the newly-minted AfterElton Briefs. Following the usual assortment of carefully-selected news items, interested readers can find a refreshing pic of a hot man in underwear after the jump. Yes, we're serious.

• Michael Ausiello is reporting that the Grey's Anatomy cast is being called back to the set following positive strike negotiations, and that other ABC gay-faves like Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters will likely follow suit. First-seasoners like Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money will likely not resume filming until summer.

• I know that when I watch this PSA from gay former pro baseball player Billy Bean I'm supposed to be paying attention to the message that "ex-gay" ministries are a load of crap, but I can't help being distracted by how adorable he is. Does that make me a bad person?

• People picked out actor Cheyenne Jackson to be their highlighted hottie of the week (much in the way they picked out author Perry Moore as their hot guy of the week a few months back). There's no mention of Jackson's sexuality in the blurb, but let's face it: the guy's hot six ways to Sunday, regardless of his sexuality.

• Project Runway's most recent lovable gift from a galaxy far, far away - Elisa Jimenez - recently showed at New York Fashion week. Unsurprisingly, she brought the crazy with her.

• A man is alleging that gay UK radio presenter Nigel Wrench drugged and raped him at a New Year's Eve party last year, and told the courts as much. Wrench denies the accusations.

The LA Times is running a fascinating story on openly gay athletes in high school and college sports. (Registration may be required to view the story.) Basically, while professional male athletes still wait until after they retire to come out, a number of younger athletes are living openly gay lives, sometimes participating in sports while also being active in groups for LGBT students.

The most encouraging parts of the story are the numerous anecdotes about acceptance. While many athletes take a slow road to coming out, numerous others have found acceptance from their teammates. One hockey player had a teammate offer to set him up with a friend while another runner found herself comforted by teammates when her girlfriend cheated on her.

Interestingly, the article notes that gay male and female athletes face slightly different challenges, even though they both find themselves battling homophobia. Gay male athletes like David Kopay, Billy Bean and John Amaechi came out after retiring to avoid dealing with homophobia while being a professional athlete. Meanwhile, a number of lesbian athletes -- such as Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King and Sheryl Swoopes have come out while still actively playing.

As the article notes, increased numbers of openly gay athletes in high school and college sports matches polls that suggest younger people are more accepting of LGBT people and, therefore, finding it less scandalous when a teammate comes out. Slowly, views towards gays are changing and one of the less gay-friendly realms are starting to open up. At the very least, I'd say it's a good time for a series about a gay athlete.

(The above photo is by Joshua Roberts, for The Times)

In what would be a refreshing change of pace from gay personal assistants (Entourage, Ugly Betty), guys who don't know they are gay (Help Me Help You, The Class) or guys who are gay, then aren't, or maybe they are, who can tell and who really cares (The Shield, Rescue Me) word is out that Showtime is looking at a series about a gay baseball player. It's called The Beard, a reference to the fact that the player has to hide his sexuality by pretending to be in a relationship with a woman.

A source told Daily Variety that The Beard is "...a comedy of errors, strikes and runs. It has its slapsticky moments and its sweet comedy moments."

Not only is this a refreshing change of pace from so many typical gay characters on television, but it's also a good sign it is being produced by David Collins and Michael Williams, the gay couple who founded "Scout Productions" which brought us Queer Eye For the Straight Guy. Maria Maggenti (Puccini for Beginners, The Incredibly True Story of Two Girls in Love) is set to write the half-hour comedy and former baseball player Billy Bean who came out in 1999 will act as a consultant.

It's about time there is a show about a gay man set in the world of sports. As Beane, John Amaechi, Esera Tualo, and other gay athletes prove, gay men are found in all walks of life, but even now television far too often casts us as hairdressers, gay best friends, and interior decorators. Nothing wrong with those professions mind you, but I, for one, am sick of seeing them!

I wish I'd heard about this while at the Television Critics Association so I could've cornered some Showtime suits to get details, but I'm still excited to see a series like this in development. There is no work on casting yet, but I'd love to see Wilmer Valderrama or Luke MacFarlane. With this and the Canadian film Breakfast with Scot, we're one movie away from a full-fledged trend! Maybe The Dreyfus Affair will finally get made into a movie!