In a matter of weeks, the ping from softball bats will take over Harris County fields with thousands of players from across the country.
"We felt like it was high time that we came back to Houston because of its great metropolitan presence, large population center, and its welcoming nature," iPride commissioner Jeff Sloan said.
But the southern hospitality is gone for the group behind the Gay Softball World Series.
"We were heartbroken because it made us feel like we weren't welcome," Sloan explained. "It made us feel like we weren't valued."
Sloan said the sporting event has 3,000 athletes, with another 2,000 fans expected to join them. Three years ago, it was held in Dallas.
It was held about a decade ago in Austin. For those events, organizers said the state gave hundreds of thousands of dollars each time.
The group applied to the governor's office again for nearly half a million dollars to help cover costs for things like meeting space, equipment, and field rentals. This time, they were denied the funds.
"We were shocked," Sloan recalled.
Organizers turned to Harris County commissioners.
Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia offered nearly half a million tax dollars budgeted for tourism -- money that was approved by commissioners on Tuesday.
"Looking forward to welcoming all of these thousands of visitors to Houston and Harris County, where they're going to spend money on hotels and food," Garcia said.
Not everyone sees it that way. Some neighbors feel like it's too much for one event.
"Any given weekend in this town you see youth tournaments," Bob Choate said. "None of those have municipal funding -- 200 of those my son played in."
The state does give events millions of dollars to help attract them here. Documents ABC13 obtained from county leaders show money has gone to quadball, Quidditch, youth soccer tournaments, college bible conferences, crypto events, and more than a million and a half dollars to the boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson.
It's a fund that the softball event says it can no longer count on. While they're unsure if they'll return to Texas, they're excited to see next month's event take place despite what happened with the state.
"We're just more emboldened and proud to show off our brand of softball in a welcoming community in about a month," Sloan said.
Organizers have tried to get answers from the governor's office about why the application was denied. ABC13 reached out as well, but did not hear back.
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