Top 50 most powerful LGBTQ people in sports for 2025 highlighted on Power 100

Here are the honorees for the Top 50 most powerful LGBTQ people in sports as part of the 2025 Outsports Power 100.

No longer are we ranking our list Nos. 1-100 based solely on the power of their influence. Instead there is a ranked Top 50 and and what we are calling the Rising 50. The Rising 50 honorees are people never before highlighted in our Power 100. It’s an opportunity to highlight people who are up-and-comers, as well as some people who have been incredible contributors to their teams, leagues or publications and deserve recognition.

The Top 50 are our selections for the 50 most powerful and influential out LGBTQ people in American sports today.

We used a system that assigned points based on criteria such as job title; league, conference or media affiliation; social media influence; LGBTQ advocacy; whether they are current or former; and for athletes coaches and team executives, how many championships they have won. We used this system to get a ranking that we then refined.

We used hard numbers, as well as our instincts honed from covering LGBTQ people in sports for 26 years.

Here are the Top 50 honorees on the 2025 Outsports Power 100.

50)  Matt Lynch

Head men’s basketball coach, Univ. of South Carolina Salkehatchie

In his second season as head men’s college basketball coach for the University of South Carolina Salkehatchie, Matt Lynch won his conference’s coach of the year award and his team led the nation in scoring in Division I JUCO after going 23-8. Lynch, the only out gay men’s college basketball head coach in the country, took over a program that had been disbanded, built a roster from scratch and ended up winning his conference tournament in his first season. As he enters his third season, Lynch is providing a model for how someone can be out as a head coach in a men’s program.

49)  Courtney Banghart

Head women’s basketball coach, UNC

Courtney Banghart has been a winner in women’s college basketball. Her discipline and focus are two reasons why the Tar Heels have gone 124-64 in her six seasons at North Carolina. Her goal is to make her players care about life outside the court. “If you graduate from North Carolina and all you care about is that leather ball,” she said, “we’ve done you a disservice.” She is married and has three children.

48)  Nora Cothren

Manager, Content, Audience Development, and Social Impact, NHL

Nora Cothren never imagined she would work at the NHL when she came out as a hockey player many years ago, including a feature article on Outsports. Many people in and around the NHL extolled Cothren’s contributions to the National Hockey League’s LGBTQ-inclusion efforts. “I’m at the point where I honestly have a position I never thought I’d be able to be in,” she told Outsports for a feature article on her 2024 Power 100 inclusion. “The excitement around what people I work with can do, it fuels me.”

47)  Curt Miller

EVP and General Manager, Dallas Wings

Curt Miller, now GM of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, has been a force in women’s basketball for years. He most recently served as the head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks, after leading the Connecticut Sun from 2016-22. He has achieved his success while also being a rare out gay male coach in the sport. “For the longest time, I didn’t want to be known as the gay head coach but just the successful coach,” he said in 2024. “However, too many young coaches are concerned about advancement & opportunities..so I will keep carrying the banner and challenge the decision makers to open doors to others! It’s really important to me to continue to provide visibility and representation to the coaches behind me. I didn’t have a role model. I didn’t have someone that I could call and reach out to to navigate as a gay male in sports.”

46)  Bonnie Thurston

Director, Player Programs, WNBA

When fans see Alyssa Thomas or Paige Bueckers making a promotional appearance away from the court, they have Bonnie Thurston to thank. Since 2005, Thurston has served as the Director of WNBA Player Programs handling marketing events and offseason player development. During her time with the WNBA, she also co-founded NBA Pride, the first known LGBTQ employee resource group in major American professional sports. “Of all the things I’ve done, this is one that will last long after I’ve gone, and it’s been incredibly meaningful in my professional and personal life,” she told Outsports.

45)  Jamila Wideman

General Manager, Washington Mystics

Jamila Wideman was hired late last year as the new General Manager of the Washington Mystics. She was previously Senior Vice President of Player Development for the NBA. Wideman was a player in the early days of the WNBA, playing for four different clubs. In her first year, the Mystics saw an improvement in their record, as she pulled off a big mid-season trade.

44)  Alycen McAuley

CBO, Washington Mystics / SVP, Capital City Go-Go

Alycen McAuley has been an executive with Monumental Sports & Entertainment for almost seven years. In that time she’s served multiple sports roles, most notably her current role as Chief Business Officer at the Washington Mystics. She also serves as Team President for the NBA G-League’s Capital City Go-Go, affiliated with Monumental’s Washington Wizards.

43)  Amy Scheer

Executive Vice President, Business Operations, Professional Women’s Hockey League

Amy Scheer has been an executive in professional sports for years. Her incredible career has taken her from the New York Liberty at a time when Sue Wicks was one of the few WNBA players willing to be publicly out. She’s also had stints with the New York Red Bulls of MLS, the Connecticut Sun, the NFL and now the PWHL, serving as Executive Vice President of Business Operations.

42)  Clare Duwelius

EVP & General Manager, Unrivaled

By all accounts, Unrivaled — the women’s winter pro basketball league — had a very successful first season under the leadership of Clare Duwelius, who took over as Executive Vice-President and General Manager of the league a little under a year ago. Duwelius was previously with the Minnesota Lynx for more than a decade, becoming the WNBA team’s general manager before getting the tap to lead Unrivaled.

41)  Greg Bader

EVP & GM, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network

As a longtime member of the Baltimore Orioles front office, Greg Bader lived his boyhood dream of working within the sport that enamored him as a child. Since joining the team as an intern in 1994, Bader rose to be the team’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President during the 2024 season, the team’s first consecutive playoff appearances since 1997. This season, he took on a new role with the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the regional sports network that broadcasts Orioles and  Washington Nationals games, as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the network.

40)  Hannah Readnour

Vice President, Footage and Media Licensing, NHL

Hannah Readnour is vice president of Footage and Media Licensing for the National Hockey League. She’s been working in this space for 20 years. In her current role, Readnour works with partners on, among other things, contracts and maintaining the NHL brand’s integrity. She is also one of the leaders of NHL Pride, the league’s LGBTQ employee resource group, working with organizations to support the community and speaking out internally at the NHL on the importance of inclusion efforts. She played rugby at Syracuse University and she’s still active with the group as part of the Women’s Rugby Alumnae Association.

39)  Anthony Bowens

Pro Wrestler, All Elite Wrestling

Since coming out on Outsports in 2019, Anthony Bowens has seen his star ascend in pro wrestling. In 2022, Bowens captured the AEW World Tag Team championships with his partner Max Caster. The win made Bowens the first out LGBTQ man to win an AEW championship. Bowens has used his prominence in wrestling to celebrate the fact he is gay to a wider audience without apology.

38)  Jade Carey

Olympic gymnast, Team USA

U.S. women’s gymnast Jade Carey has won two Olympic gold medals, but she caught our attention by posting about her girlfriend in what we call a quiet coming out. Carey’s girlfriend is Aimee Sinacola, who worked as the Director of Creative Content for the University of Oregon’s athletics department and in September assumed a new role as Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s Senior Creative Content Producer. Carey and Sinacola don’t post much about their relationship, yet the fact they revealed it shows a new model for LGBTQ athletes — get it out there and live your life.

37)  Martina Navratilova

Tennis legend, media commentator

Not many sports legends are known by simply their first name. Yet Martina continues to be an influential figure not just in tennis, but sports worldwide. Her 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles are still both Open Era records. She is also still in-demand for tennis commentary, appearing this year on the Tennis Channel, Sky Sports and the BBC. Her push to keep trans women from women’s sports has angered many trans advocates, yet this legend of the gay community has had a massive impact on the shifting trans-athlete policies around the world.

36)  Sue Bird

Managing Director, USA women’s national team / Producer, podcaster

Two years after retiring as a WNBA legend, Sue Bird remains a driving force in LGBTQ and female advancement in sports. This year, the four-time WNBA champion was picked by USA Basketball to the new position of managing director of women’s basketball, where she will oversee the selection of players and coaches for international play, including the Olympics. In August, she was the first WNBA player to get a statue of herself in Seattle. Along with fiance Megan Rapinoe, the former U.S. soccer star, the two are building a sports media business with podcasts and live events.

35)  Paige Bueckers

Player, Dallas Wings

It’s been quite a 2025 for Paige Bueckers: No. 1 pick in the WNBA by the Dallas Wings, WNBA Rookie of the Year and a national collegiate title with UConn. She played alongside Azzi Fudd, and the two are now out as girlfriends. Bueckers’ answers to this “How well do you know your D1 girlfriend” are very charming. Bueckers and Fudd are an LGBTQ power couple.

34)  Toni Storm

Pro Wrestler, All Elite Wrestling

Toni Storm is a force in professional wrestling. Formerly in WWE, Storm has dominated All Elite Wrestling over the last few years. She is currently the AEW Women’s World Champion, holding the title a record fourth time as her “Timeless” persona. She is the first out LGBTQ wrestler to top the PWI Women’s 250.

33)  Jayna Hefford

Executive Vice President, Hockey Operations, PWHL

Jayna Hefford is a legend on multiple levels. She won four Olympic hockey gold medals with Team Canada. She’s in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Now she’s the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Professional Women’s Hockey League and a powerful public speaker.

32)  Amber Trapp

Vice President, Talent Acquisition, NFL

Amber Trapp has worked in various industries, coming to the NFL more than three years ago from Sony Music Entertainment. Now vice president of talent acquisition at the NFL, Trapp is instrumental in identifying and hiring the next generation of leaders in the nation’s most powerful sports league. She has been called a game-changer by a staffing firm, which noted: “Trapp led the …implementation of a global applicant tracking system that will play a key role as the NFL pursues international expansion.”

31)  Kate Scott

TV announcer, Philadelphia 76ers, USA Network, Westwood One

Kate Scott has been a trailblazer for LGBTQ and women in the media broadcasts of major men’s pro sports. She’s been a play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia 76ers since 2021. She’s broadcast NWSL games for CBS and Paramount Plus. And she’s broadcast NFL preseason games for the Seattle Seahawks, as well as being the first woman to broadcast an NFL regular season game for Westwood One.

30)  Candace Parker

Basketball analyst and commentator, TNT Sports

Candace Parker announced her retirement from playing in the WNBA in 2024 saying in her announcement, “I promised I’d never cheat the game and that I’d leave it in a better place than I came into it.” She left the WNBA as a player in style, winning her third WNBA Championship in 2023 as part of a dominant Las Vegas Aces team. She won those three titles with three different teams and is regarded as one of the greatest all-around players ever. Parker didn’t cheat the game. She evolved it. Now she’s a popular TV commentator for the NBA and the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament for TNT.

29)  Renee Montgomery

Co-Owner, Atlanta Dream and FCF Beasts

Renee Montgomery was a two-time All-American point guard at Connecticut and a two-time WNBA champion. She’s now a decision maker off the court as co-owner and vice president of the Atlanta Dream. She has taken her opportunity as an owner to enhance the initiatives she started late in her playing career with the Renee Montgomery Foundation. Montgomery says she enjoys the business side of running a team even more than being on the floor, and she relishes her role as an LGBTQ role model.

28)  Vince Kozar

Pres, Mercury / COO, Arena Sports Group

Vince Kozar rose from intern 20 years ago to president of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. In 2021, he was named to the Athletic’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars in Women’s Basketball. Kozar had started his career with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and he talked about why he moved to the Mercury. “The most important risk I took was moving over from the Suns organization to the Mercury side in 2013,” Kozar said. “The NBA is gigantic and important and the operation on our NBA side is top-tier, but I don’t know if it needs me. Our WNBA operation, the women’s game, and what we’re trying to build with the Mercury needs my energy every day. I’ve always kind of been drawn to being a big fish in a small pond because of the impact that you can have.”

27)  Breanna Stewart

Player, New York Liberty

In 2024, Breanna Stewart completed a special double. In Paris she won her third Olympic gold medal for Team USA and then helped the New York Liberty win its first  WNBA championship. Off the floor, she is also making moves as a co-founder of Unrivaled with Minnesota Lynx all-star Naphessa Collier. The venture is a professional women’s 3-on-3 league that had its first season in 2025. Stewart has been an activist as much as an athlete. As one of the players to take the lead in dedicating the 2020 season to Breonna Taylor, Stewart then helped the Seattle Storm to the WNBA championship and was named one of Sports Illustrated’s Athlete Activist Sportspeople of the Year.

26)  Roscoe Mapps

Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, San Francisco Giants

Roscoe Mapps is in his 10th season with the San Francisco Giants, where he serves as chief diversity and inclusion officer. When Outsports talks with people in baseball about efforts to build LGBTQ visibility and inclusion, Mapps‘ name comes up all the time. From the Giants’ description of Mapps’ role with the franchise: “In his current role, he collaborates with cross-functional teams to implement strategies that enhance representation, foster cultural understanding, and cultivate inclusion and belonging.” Mapps has been instrumental in building a relationship with other teams, including the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, to foster joint inclusion efforts.

25)  Julie Uhrman

CEO & Co-Founder, Angel City FC

When Julie Uhrman and some other investors had an idea for a women’s pro soccer team in Los Angeles, they knew exactly what they were doing. Now she isn’t just a co-founder of Angel City FC, she is the NWSL team’s CEO, promoted by the club’s executives earlier this year.

24)  Jason Collins

Former NBA player, LGBTQ legend

No gay male pro athlete in America has worked harder for inclusion in their sport than Jason Collins. When he came out publicly on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 2013, he was the first athlete in the Big Four men’s American sports leagues to do so. Since then he has worked closely with the NBA, talking with players and coaches and continuing the league’s efforts to build an atmosphere of LGBTQ inclusion. Earlier this summer, Collins was diagnosed with a brain tumor, for which he’s being treated. As gay basketball coach Anthony Nicodemo wrote on Outsports last month: “We need more people like Jason Collins — people who recognize the power they have to spark positive change, yet remain humble enough to know they’re part of something much bigger.”

23)  Drew Martin

Executive Sr. Associate AD for External Affairs, University of Texas

Drew Martin has been a college sports administrator in Texas for almost three decades. He started at Texas A&M, where he moved up from assistant SID to Assistant AD, moving to TCU for six years after that. In 2018, he joined the staff with the Texas Longhorns as executive senior associate athletics director for external affairs. In the meantime, he’s spent much of that time as a publicly out gay man, one of the highest-ranking out married gay men in college sports.

22)  Carley Knox

President of Business Operations, Minnesota Lynx

Carley Knox is the Minnesota Lynx president of business operations who spearheaded the creation of the Lynx President’s Circle club for supporters to get more involved with the team and give back to their community. She’s been with the team for 16 seasons, and the Lynx had one of their best seasons ever this year by finishing atop the WNBA standings. She was the Grand Marshal of 2024 Twin Cities Pride. “Carley’s continued dedication to the LGBTQIA+ community has not gone unnoticed,” Twin Cities Pride said. She and Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve have been married since 2011 and have a son, Oliver.

21)  Marc Vandewettering

GM, University of Wisconsin men’s basketball

Marc Vandewettering was named general manager of the University of Wisconsin’s men’s basketball program. The promotion is a powerful one for the Badgers, as well as the LGBTQ community: Vandewettering is an out gay man who has shared his story publicly and lived his life openly on social media. Vandewettering is so out, in fact, that he has the date he came out as gay to his family tattooed on his arm: Dec. 26, 2015.

20)  Peter Lovins

General Counsel, Columbus Blue Jackets

Peter Lovins has built quite a career for himself with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He’s a success story, rising from legal assistant in 2012 to now General Counsel of the NHL team, having earned his law degree from the nearby Ohio State University. Lovins has been in the Outsports universe for many years, and it’s great to see a good guy find such incredible success in the pro sports world. He and his husband, Mike, have been together since 2012.

19)  Skate Noftsinger

SVP and Chief Business Officer, Atlanta United

As the Chief Business Officer for Atlanta United FC, Sarah Kate (Skate) Noftsinger is “responsible for overseeing day-to-day business strategy for the club, including marketing, sales, sponsorship and ticketing,” according to the team. It’s her second stint at Atlanta United FC, having spent a few years as the U.S. soccer marketing head for Adidas. Noftsinger is a former college soccer player herself, also playing a couple of seasons for the Washington Freedom, once a women’s pro soccer team in Washington, D.C.

18)  Cheryl Reeve

Coach, Minnesota Lynx

Cherly Reeve’s 16 seasons in Minnesota as head coach and President of Basketball Operations of the WNBA’s Lynx are a statement of greatness. With four WNBA titles under her belt, Reeve coached her seventh WNBA Finals squad in 2024. In 2025, Reeve led the Lynx to the league’s best record, but their season ended in the semis. Reeve kept that winning pedigree in her first Olympics as head coach for Team USA as the American women captured their eighth straight gold medal at the Paris Games.

17)  Alyssa Thomas

Player, Phoenix Mercury

Alyssa Thomas is a six-time WNBA All-Star who had a huge season in 2025. She was the WNBA’s league leader for the season in assists per game, third in rebounds, No. 5 in steals and top-20 in points scored. She played a huge role in leading the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA Finals as the league’s 4-seed.

16)  Dan DeVece

Vice President, Global Partnership Strategy, NFL

Dan DeVece is vice president of global partnership strategy at the NFL, where he also sits as a co-chair of the league’s PRIDE employee resource group that aims to heighten the visibility of the LGBTQ community within the NFL office. Since coming out as gay in 2005, he’s found a supportive community around him both at home and at work, and has always been conscious of how important visibility can be. Given the NFL’s push for international games and building the global brand, his stock is rising in the nation’s most influential sports league.

15)  Jill Ellis

Chief Football Officer, FIFA

In her new role as Chief Football Officer for FIFA, soccer’s governing body, Ellis is helping to drive “the development and implementation of FIFA’s global football strategy.” Ellis previously had made her name in the soccer universe as USWNT head coach from 2014 to 2019, during which she won back-to-back World Cups in 2015 and 2019. Off the pitch, it has been messier for Ellis. A former employee of the San Diego Wave, where Ellis served as president, accused her of a “pattern of abusive behavior,” a claim the team called “inaccurate and defamatory” and which prompted a lawsuit by Ellis against the employee. In October, the Wave sued Ellis for allegedly misleading them by promising to stay on after the team’s sale, only to resign after the deal was done. An attorney for Ellis called the suit “meritless.”

14)  Nico Young

Olympic runner, Team USA

American distance runner Nico Young has had an impressive last 18 months, capped off in August when he became the first out gay man to win a U.S. national track title with a win in the 10,000 meters at the U.S. nationals. In 2024, he set the NCAA record in both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters. His performance last year landed him at the Olympics as the first out gay man in U.S. Olympic track history. In 2025, he added a national championship in the 10,000, as well as an American record in the 5,000. At Worlds this year he was the top-finishing American – fifth – in the 10,000 meters. He has done this all as an out and proud gay man happy to be a role model.

13)  Christine Vicari

Senior Vice President, Club & Labor Finance, NFL

Currently the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Club and Labor Finance, Christine Vicari’s group is involved in the negotiation of the collective bargaining agreement, including the salary cap, stadium financing, league debt structure, club financials and analytics, box office policy and leaguewide revenue sharing. The former college softball player has spoken openly about the welcoming reaction she received in 2014 when she married her wife and came out to colleagues. “Everyone was so amazing and so supportive, and that shifted my mindset, too, of thinking about the NFL differently.”

12)  Stephanie White

Coach, Indiana Fever

Stephanie White was WNBA coach of the year in the 2022-23 season and followed up the next season by leading the Connecticut Sun to the WNBA semifinals. In 2025, she coached the Indiana Fever into the playoffs. It is her second stint with Indiana. She came to the WNBA from Vanderbilt and immediately showed she belonged. White hasn’t been shy about being LGBTQ and raising a family. “I consider myself an advocate because I have a platform to influence people,” she said in 2015.

11)  Brian Vahaly

President, U.S. Tennis Assn.

Brian Vahaly wears several hats. He’s chairman and president of the U.S.Tennis Assn. board, the national governing body for tennis in the United States. He’s a former professional tennis player, who reached a high of  No. 64 in the world before succumbing to a shoulder injury. He’s an alumnus and the first All-American player at the University of Virginia. With a double degree in business and finance, he serves as a senior advisor at Brown Advisory. He’s also a husband — he married his partner, Bill Jones, in 2015 — and a father to twins, Parker and Bennett.

10)  Katie Hill

Sr VP, Comms, NFL

Katie Hill has been the Senior Vice President of Communications at the National Football League for 4.5 years. Before that, she served in President Barack Obama’s White House and worked closely with him after he left the White House. She has deep experience in the public sector, including working for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “I’ve always known that I wanted to make a difference in some way,” she has said.

9)  Amber Glenn

Figure skater, Team USA

The American figure skater is at the height of her career, winning her second consecutive gold at the U.S. Championships and setting herself up for a strong run at Team USA for the upcoming Winter Olympics. She came out as bisexual/pansexual in 2019, saying, “I don’t want to hide who I am.” In 2024, Glenn became the first queer woman to win a U.S. skating title and she posed with the Progress Pride flag after.

8)  Clay Allen

General Counsel, Houston Rockets

Clay Allen is the general counsel for the Houston Rockets and one of the most high-profile gay man in a pro sports front office. Allen came out publicly as gay in 2022 and is not shying away from being an advocate for more representation and visibility. A proud Baylor University law school alum, Allen was asked by the school’s website what achievements he was most proud of: “I’m most proud of having spent over 17 years with the Houston Rockets. … Finally, I’m proud to have been named #21 on the [2024] Outsports Power 100 list of the most influential LGBTQ people in sports, alongside sports royalty such as Billie Jean King, Jason Collins, and Baylor’s own Brittney Griner. Being an advocate for DEI initiatives and the LGBTQ+ community has always been important to me, and being named to this prestigious list with such sports heavyweights was an amazing honor.”

7)  Nikki Hiltz

Olympic runner, Team USA

Nikki Hiltz in 2025 became the first runner to win six consecutive U.S. 1,500-meter titles, including both indoor and outdoor tracks. They are also first nonbinary athlete to reach an Olympic individual event final, which they did in Paris. Hiltz made an impact far beyond the track with their unflinching LGBTQ advocacy. Hiltz came out as trans and nonbinary on Trans Day of Visibility in 2021 and has never looked back. After winning a 2023 race in Des Moines, Iowa, Hiltz spoke passionately about the plight of trans people in the state. “Trans people live in Iowa and they deserve access to healthcare and access to sports,” Hiltz said to Citius Magazine after the race. “It meant more being in a state where there is so much hateful legislation.”

7)  Becky Hammon

Coach, Las Vegas Aces

Another year, another WNBA title for Becky Hammon and the Las Vegas Aces. In 2025, Hammon won her third WNBA title in four years in 2025, cementing her slot as the top coach in the league. She had previously made history by becoming an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA for numerous seasons. Off the court, Hammon and her wife, Brenda Milano, are raising two sons — Cayden, 9, and Samuel, 7. She told the Las Vegas Review-Journal this year of the “mommy guilt” she feels by being away from her boys regularly. “Nothing’s more important than your kids,” Hammon said. “It’s heavy because a mother’s heart is different, and I think it’s looked at by society differently, so you carry that around. But at the end of the day, you’ve got to do what you have to do to provide for your family, and hope to God they understand when they get older.”

5)  Billie Jean King & Ilana Kloss

Tennis legends, part owners, Los Angeles Dodgers

Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss are legends in the sports world. As athletes, the two women each won multiple Grand Slam titles. King won 39 — third most of all time — and Kloss with two. As advocates they have been iconic champions of women and LGBTQ people in sports, King one of the Original Nine professional women’s tennis players and Kloss, a few years younger, joining the push for female athletes not long after. They have never relented. The women aren’t just in love — they have been for over 40 years — but they approach their work in sports as a business partnership as well. “I’m the dreamer and Ilana is the builder,” King told Outsports. “People give me credit when so often they should give Ilana credit. I get upset about it.” King was the grand marshal of the Jan. 1, 2025, Rose Parade. King and Kloss were No. 1 on the 2023 Power 100.

4)  Erik Braverman

SVP, Marketing, Communications & Broadcasting, Los Angeles Dodgers

When Erik Braverman came out publicly on Outsports in 2015, he blazed a trail taken by few out gay men in sports, leading the way all the way to the C Suite of the Dodgers. Since then he’s helped lead the team’s LGBTQ efforts including the most successful Pride Night in sports. In 2024, he and a group of investors that includes his husband, Jonathan Cottrell, purchased Gym Sportsbar and Grill in West Hollywood, renaming it Gym Bar WeHo and elevating it as a go-to spot for LGBTQ sports fans, athletes and even tho

3)  George Cheeks

Chair of TV Media, Paramount

George Cheeks is the head of TV Media for Paramount, a title he acquired after the company was bought by Skydance. His portfolio includes all CBS-branded properties as well as BET Studios, Nickelodeon TV Studios, See It Now Studios, and Paramount Media Networks, home to MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and BET. In the sports realm, Cheeks was Paramount’s point person on discussions with the NFL for the rights renegotiation in 2022. In a previous job, Cheeks was at NBCUniversal for seven years in various roles, including being head of late-night programming for NBC Entertainment.

2)  Laura Ricketts

Owner, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Red Stars

When the Ricketts family bought the Chicago Cubs in 2009, Laura Ricketts immediately made history by becoming the first out LGBTQ owner in MLB history. Seven years later, she was front and center during the celebration when the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 years. In 2023, she led a group of investors to purchase the Chicago Red Stars and was instrumental in the club hosting a match at Wrigley Field in 2024 that broke an NWSL record with an attendance of 35,038.

1)  Rick Welts

CEO, Dallas Mavericks

Rick Welts was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 in honor of his longtime career that included major positions in the NBA front office and stints with the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. Welts came out of retirement to become president and CEO of the Mavericks in December. He came out as gay in 2011 and has long been an advocate and mentor for other LGBTQ people in sports. Check out our feature story on the incredible career of Rick Welts.

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