Outsports is highlighting our selections for the 100 most powerful and influential out LGBTQ people in sports in the United States, in the Outsports Power 100.
League executives. Team owners. Athletes. Coaches. College sports administrators. Members of the sports media.
The breadth, depth and diversity of the honorees are a profound statement.
Here are Outsports’ selections for Nos. 1-10:
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
PREVIOUS 1 to 10 | OUTSPORTS POWER 100 | NEXT 21 to 30
11) Billy Bean
SVP, Major League Baseball
During his playing days with the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padres, Billy Bean struggled with his sexuality, going to extraordinarily draining lengths to remain in the closet. After coming out as gay in retirement and finding acceptance from numerous former teammates, he’s dedicated his post playing career to ensure that no LGBTQ baseball player has to do the same. As MLB’s senior vice president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Bean visits every team in the league and uses his story to illustrate the necessity of making baseball a game where LGBTQ players can be comfortable living openly as their true selves. Bean has also authored a memoir and been the subject of an MLB Network documentary. —Ken Schultz
12) Candace Parker
NBA Broadcaster, Las Vegas Aces player
In December 2021, Candace Parker was already one of the most celebrated players in WNBA history. After leading the University of Tennessee to consecutive national championships, Parker was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. She immediately became the first player to win Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in her debut season and claimed another MVP in 2013. She helped Sparks win a WNBA championship in 2016 before signing with her hometown Chicago Sky and leading them to the 2021 title. That December, Parker came out publicly in an Instagram post wishing a happy second anniversary to her partner, Anya Petrakova. Now known as one of the greatest LGBTQ athletes of all time, Parker is seeking her third championship with the Las Vegas Aces. —Ken Schultz
13) Martina Navratilova
Tennis legend
A legend in the tennis world, Martina Navratilova won 59 Grand Slam championships in her playing career, the most of any athlete in the Open era. Coming out in 1981, she broke ground for gay and lesbian athletes and has since lent her voice to supporting gays and lesbians in and out of sports, often taking on political leaders to do so. Recently she has come out against transgender women participating in the female sports category, speaking to her half-million Twitter followers on a regular basis. There is only one “Martina.” — Cyd Zeigler
14) Krashlyn
Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, NWSL players
Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris have been mainstays of the U.S. women’s national soccer team, and since announcing their engagement in 2019 their stars have risen even higher. The two have never shied away from using their celebrity to bring attention to issues close to their hearts, from LGBTQ rights to mental health and fair working conditions in women’s soccer. Krieger said of their activism, “It’s a lot of responsibility, but a lot of responsibility we’re willing to take. If we don’t fight for our community and ourselves, who will? It’s inspiring to us and motivating to continue showing up. It’s a job we’ve taken on just being ourselves. And we’ll continue to speak on it and show our family and be visible. It now comes naturally to us, and I’m really proud.” — Shelby Weldon
15) Ryan Resch
VP, Assistant General Manager, Phoenix Suns
Ryan Resch is a basketball junkie and at age 29 in 2022 was promoted to vice president of basketball strategy and evaluation for the Phoenix Suns. It’s also when he came out as gay. “Ultimately my goal is to normalize for people in and out of the league the existence of gay men and women on the basketball side,” Resch told ESPN. Resch’s coming out was no big deal in Phoenix and given how often executives at Resch’s level move to other teams during their careers, we can expect to see Resch continue to have impact as an out man in the NBA. —Jim Buzinski
16) Jason Collins
Former NBA player, current NBA diversity speaker
Jason Collins changed the landscape of men’s pro sports when he came out publicly while still an active player in the NBA in 2013. Eventually he signed by the Brooklyn Nets. He is a celebrated hero for the LGBTQ community. Since his retirement from the NBA, he has worked with the league and other organizations to advance the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the NBA and other sports. — Cyd Zeigler
17) Johnny Weir
Olympian, figure skating commentator, NBC
The Olympics became exponentially more fabulous the moment Johnny Weir qualified for the U.S. Figure Skating team in 2006. While he didn’t publicly come out as gay until the publication of his 2011 autobiography, Weir underscored his skills on the ice with a fierce persona and dazzling ensembles combining sequins, glitter, and makeup. His LGBTQ-influenced personal style became the talk of the Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Games. After finishing fifth and sixth in his two Olympic appearances, Weir retired from competition and joined NBC’s broadcast team for Sochi 2014. Paired with Tara Lipinski, Weir’s enthusiasm for his sport, blunt analysis, and eye-catching lewks make figure skating a must-see event. —Ken Schultz
18) Raven Jemison
EVP, Milwaukee Bucks
Raven Jemison is the Milwaukee Bucks’ executive vice president of business operations. In her role with the Bucks, she is responsible for managing everything from ticketing to marketing to corporate social responsibility. “Rarely are women in revenue-generating leadership roles, such as selling tickets or sponsorships, because there are few role models,” Jemison told Milwaukee Magazine on what it means to be a gay, Black woman in her line of work. “A lot of people say, ‘representation matters’ — that is, you can’t be what you can’t see. I say access also matters.” Jemison talked with Outsports about her perspective of inclusion in the NBA. — Shelby Weldon
19) Cheryl Reeve & Carley Knox
Head coach & executive, Minnesota Lynx
Since 2010, Cheryl Reeve, Carley Knox and the Minnesota Lynx have gone hand in hand and the results have been legendary. As Lynx head coach, Reeve captured the WNBA championship during the second year of her tenure in 2011 and went on to win three more titles in 2013, 2015 and 2017. She has also set numerous WNBA coaching records, including most victories, highest winning percentage and most playoff wins in league history. Knox is a former DI soccer player and 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 and Reeve have been married since 2011 and have a son, Oliver. — Ken Schultz and Shelby Weldon
20) Becky Hammon
Head coach, Las Vegas Aces
The head coach of the reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces clawed her way from South Dakota to Division I. She fought to gain a spot on the New York Liberty while the GM was wondering when they could cut her. She rarely left the court in a 15-year pro career, and she was named one of the WNBA’s greatest players in its first 25 years. Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs hired her as the first woman full-time assistant coach in NBA history. Her acumen, preparedness and guts had her on the short list of likely NBA head coaches position. Instead, it served to build a potential WNBA dynasty. —Karleigh Webb
