LGBTQ Sports Management
It is often the sports players themselves who get the bulk of the attention when it comes to LGBTQ Sports. Oof equal importance to sport is the many LGBTQ individuals involved in the administrative aspects of professional and amateur teams.
These individuals include the owners and presidents of the various sports teams, such as lesbian Sue Black (owner of the Milwaukee Wave soccer team) or gay Rick Welts (President of NBA's Golden State Warriors).
It also includes those individuals acting in the capacity of day-to-day management roles, such as lesbian Jayna Hefford (Spokesperson, Canadian Hockey Association's Initiation Program) or gay Kenny Dow (Senior Manager of Marketing for Seattle Storm soccer club).
In 2014 Major League Baseball appointed former gay baseball player Billy Bean as its Ambassador for Inclusion. England's Football Association has appointed Chris Gibbons as Inclusion Education Advisor. These are efforts to reach out to the sports’ LGBTQ supporters and show their support for inclusion in the sport.
Many LGBTQ individuals are involved in local amateur sporting associations and have an important role to play in the development of youth players. A notable example is gay Aldo Peralta of Mexico and the Los Lobos soccer team.
And finally, there are many LGBTQ activists involved in sports through international organizations (such as the Federation of Gay Games, Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association (GLISA), the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association) or national organizations.
Sports management holds a powerful position when it comes to the recognition of LGBTQ human rights. For example, in 2016 the NBA decided to move its 2017 All Star game out of the state of North Carolina in protest of that states’ discriminatory legislation aimed at the community (known as ‘the bathroom law). The National College Athletic Association (NCAA) followed suit by withdrawing any championship series from the state.
We have identified LGBTQ sports management and administrators from Russia, Canada, Great Britain, the United States, Mexico, Scotland, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and South Africa.
- Joe Altenau, United States - Director of Event Operations, New Jersey Devils ice hockey team
- Greg Bader, United States - VP Marketing and Communications, Baltimore Orioles baseball team
- David Baggs, United States - Senior Manager, Boston Red Sox Academy, Boston Red Sox baseball team
- Chris Basiurski, Great Britain - Chair, Gay Footballers' Supporter Network
- Billy Bean, United States - Major League Baseball, Ambassador for Inclusion
- Sue Black, United States - Owner and CEO, Milwaukee Wave
- Robert Brakel, United States - Video Director, Arizona Cardinals
- Erik Braverman, United States - Vice-president marketing and broadcasting, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Chris Burns, United States - Assistant Basketball Coach, Bryant University Bulldogs
- Caitlin Cahow, United States - Board Member, Canadian Women's Hockey League
- Gregg Carrol, Scotland - Manager, Huntley Football Club
- Roberta Cowell, Great Britain - Founder, Motor Racing Team
- Kurt Dahl, United States - Co-President, Federation of Gay Games
- Ivan Denis, Belgium, Ambassador - World Outgames
- Gene Dermody, United States - President, Federation of Gay Games
- Kenny Dow, United States - Senior Manager of Marketing, Seattle Storm
- Gordon Dunbar, Canada - Director, Gay and Lesbian International Sports Association
- Joanie Evans, Great Britain - Co-President, Federation of Gay Games
- Michelle Ferris, Australia - Gay Games Ambassador
- Alison Forman, Australia - Administrator, Dana Cup (Europe)
- Chris Gibbons, Great Britain - Inclusion and Education Advisor - Football Association
- Ginny Gilder, United States - co-owner, Seattle Storm WNBA team
- Kimberly Hadley, Canada - Co-President, International Gay and Lesbian Football Association
- David Haigh, Great Britain - Managing Director, Leeds United Football Club
- Bruce Hayes, United States - Gay Games Ambassador
- Jayna Hefford, Canada - Spokesperson, Canadian Hockey Association's Initiation Program
- Tyson Lusk, United States - Director of Baseball Operations, University of South Carolina
- Drew Martin, United States - Assistant Athletic Director, Texas Christian University (TCU)
- Steffi Jones, Germany - FIFA Women's World Cup Organizer
- Laura McAllister, Great Britain - Chair, Sports Wales
- Kevin McClatchy, United States - Owner and former CEO, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club
- Chris Morgan, Great Britain - Gay Games Ambassador
- Karen Morrison, United States - Director of Gender Inclusion - NCAA
- Leigh-Ann Naidoo, South Africa - Gay Games Ambassador
- Stephen Nick, United States - Co-President, International Gay and Lesbian Football Association
- Elisa Padilla, United States - Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer for Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (BSE), parent of Brooklyn Nets of the NBA
- Aldo Peralta, Mexico - General Director - Los Lobos soccer club
- Steve Reed (sports), United States - Director of Human Resources, Washington Nationals baseball team
- Laura Ricketts, United States - owner, Chicago Cubs baseball club
- Viktor Romanov, Russia - Chair, Russian LGBT Sports Federation
- Hugo Scheckter, Great Britain - Player/Team Liason, Southampton FC
- Matt Schulte, United States - Marketing Coordinator, Kansas City Royals baseball club
- David Slattery, United States - General Manager, NFL's Washington Redskins
- Mark Tewksbury, Canada - Former Chef de Mission, Canadian Olympic Team
- Tom Waddell, United States - Founder, Federation of Gay Games
- Rick Welts, United States - President & Chief of Operations, NBA Golden State Warriors
- Konstantin Yablotskiy, Russia - Organizer, Russian Open Games
