Bryan Ruby sang the National Anthem at Dodger Stadium on Sunday as the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers, in the hunt for the NL West title, won the game, 8-0.
Ruby is a professional baseball player who came out publicly as gay 10 days earlier. Currently he’s the only professional baseball player we know to be publicly out. Several have come before him, including Sean Conroy and David Denison.
Ruby is also a songwriter working in Nashville, specializing in country music. He’s had some recent success. Balancing a career in professional baseball with a career in Nashville can’t be easy, but he’s determined to make it all work as long as he can play.
The Dodgers have a long history of supporting the LGBTQ community — one of the strongest track records in all of professional sports. So it’s fitting that Ruby, with the help of Dodgers SVP Erik Braverman, would get this opportunity with the Dodgers.
Ruby is currently working with the Sports Equality Foundation, a non-profit empowering LGBTQ athletes, coaches, executives and others in sports to build acceptance and inclusion in sports.
