It was a beautiful, warm day in North Beach on June 7. A block of Green Street had been closed off to traffic, and you could hear cheering, laughing, and the smack of a hit ball, not to mention speakers blasting a mix of oldies and Bay Area E-40 classics. Amid these sounds, Bay Area firefighters were giving one another high-fives as they switched positions during the 2026 California Fire Fighters Stickball Summer Olympics tournament. The game was open to firefighters across the state, but only those from the East Bay, San Francisco, and the Peninsula ultimately showed up to play. As a result, it became an unintentional battle of the Bay.
Stickball was born in the Bronx and is very similar to baseball—except there are no mitts, no beautiful green grass, and not even real plates. Instead, the game is typically played with a broomstick in the middle of the street, with chalked-up squares plates and players hitting a hollow, rubber high-bounce ball. Last week’s tournament was hosted by San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 and Gino & Carlo Sports Bar and Lounge at 548 Green Street.
The California Firefighter Olympics has been going on for roughly 20 years, said the Alameda County Fire Department’s Brian Centoni. “It’s great to get all the firefighters out here,” he explained. “You know, we work really hard when we are on-duty, but we also really want to enjoy our time when we are off-duty. This is a great time for us to get a little bit of mental health and get everyone together.” Centoni, who has been in the fire department for over 20 years, continued, “Firefighters are really nice and friendly people, so it feels great to come out here and play some stickball.”
First-time player Pedro Briseno, who wore his Alameda County stickball jersey as part of the Alameda County Fire Department, said he didn’t get to play last year, and wanted to make an effort to make it to the street in 2026. Briseno was hoping his team would win gold. “It’s my first time doing stickball here in the city,” he said. “I’m having fun. I didn’t do too much on the team, but we’re going for gold. We’re having a good time, networking, meeting new people and firefighters from different departments. The sun is out, it feels good.”
Seven different departments came out to represent. At the end of the day, the medal-winners were San Mateo City Fire Department in first place and Alameda County Fire Department in second place, with San Francisco Fire Department’s red team taking third.
San Francisco firefighter Kori Grant said his favorite part of the Summer Olympics is being able to spend time with his fellow colleagues, “spending time with the guys I get to work with, because they’re family to me. We get to come out here and enjoy beautiful San Francisco, enjoy the weather, and enjoy family and the fire department.”
