Where Representation Meets Real Experience.

I have spent 30+ years coaching the athletes nobody wanted. The overlooked. The underestimated. The ones who didn't fit the mold. I built APG for them. Because every athlete deserves to feel like they belong.

— Coach Steiner, Founder

I won the medal around my neck at 59 after two knee replacements. If that doesn't tell you what Athletic Pride Gear stands for, nothing will.

Coach Steiner, Founder

My Mission

Sport has the power to build community, confidence, and identity. But for too long, certain athletes have shown up to compete without ever feeling truly represented.

I've spent 50+ years as an athlete, coach, and umpire watching what happens when the right environment meets the right athlete. When women and queer athletes feel seen and valued, they don't just play better — they become more fully themselves.

Athletic Pride Gear exists to make that feeling visible — in every design, every message, every piece of gear.

We don't do clichés. We don't do rainbow-washing. We create bold, authentic apparel that reflects real stories, real identities, and real pride — built by someone who's lived it.

Because your gear should reflect the most confident version of you. Not the version the marketplace settled for.

You're not just buying gear. You're joining a movement.

FROM THE FIELD

Disigns that speak

Every design is informed by 50+ years of athletic experience — including medals won after two knee replacements.

We understand the mindset, challenges, and triumphs of women and queer athletes because we've lived them. Every setback. Every comeback. Every moment the world counted you out.

Our designs speak to that shared experience.

Inner Power Collection

BEYOND THE RAINBOW

As a lesbian since 1974, I've never once bought rainbow merchandise. Not because I'm not proud — but because a symbol was never enough, and not always safe. I hate that some still have to hide but as a coach/teacher, I understand.

Our community deserves designs that speak to our actual lives, our humor, our grit, and our pride. Not just our visibility.

We create gear that goes deeper than the flag all year, not just June.

Love Out Loud Collection

PARTNERED EXCELLENCE

We work with top-tier print-on-demand partners to ensure consistent quality and reliable fulfillment — so we can focus on what matters most: creating designs that actually mean something.

Sport-Specific Collection
2018
Sport Photography by:
Coach Steiner, Founder

What happens when a coach with 50+ years of experience designs the gear she always wished existed?

You get something the sports industry has never quite managed to build.

Not another brand slapping motivational quotes on a generic tee. Not rainbow merchandise that checks a box and calls it representation. Not "shrink it and pink it" apparel that treats female athletes like an afterthought.

You get gear designed by someone who has stood on every side of the field — as a 6th grade player in 1969, a college athlete, a high school coach, a tournament champion, a 20-year umpire, and a Master's-level coaching educator. Someone who has photographed athletes for newspapers, studied sport psychology, and earned medals after two knee replacements.

Someone who knows exactly what it feels like to love a sport that doesn't always love you back.

Athletic Pride Gear exists because that person — Coach Sheri Steiner — got tired of waiting for someone else to build it.

Every design carries that weight. Every message reflects what real athletes actually think, feel, and live. Every piece of gear is built for the athlete who competes not for applause, but because the game is part of who they are.

This isn't apparel. It's recognition. Finally.

Shop the Gear