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. 71-80:
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly playbook is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
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71) Jessica Andrade
Athlete, UFC
Former UFC Strawweight champion Jessica Andrade has built quite the legacy for herself inside the octagon. Second to Amanda Nunes for the most UFC wins by a female fighter, Andrade stands as the only woman to win fights in three different UFC weight classes. She also gave the MMA world one of its most public LGBTQ moments when she proposed to her girlfriend after a hard-fought loss to UFC Strawweight legend Joanna Jędrzejczyk in 2017. — Brian Bell
72) John Dorn
Director, Chicago FC United
Longtime pro soccer executive John Dorn works as the director of Chicago FC United, having helped many dozens of athletes find their potential. Last year, Dorn wrote about his experiences coming out as gay for Outsports and the trajectory of his career. “Since I have been completely out, I feel like I am on a victory tour with every conversation I have. I cannot describe how supportive the soccer community has been.” His presence in the developmental USL League Two will be an important point of visibility for young players and staff coming up in the US soccer world to see as an example of being both successful and authentically yourself. — Shelby Weldon
73) Natalie Williams
General Manager, Las Vegas Aces
Natalie Williams is a legend, a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. Now General Manager of the defending WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces, Williams is forging a path for herself as a successful executive. Williams talked with Outsports for a feature story about being out in women’s basketball. — Cyd Zeigler
74) Nick McCarvel
Journalist, Olympic Channel, NBC
Nick McCarvel is a sports reporter and commentator specializing in tennis and Olympic sports with NBC, the Olympic Channel and others. He has also organized LGBTQ Pride events at major sporting events including tennis’ U.S. Open. McCarvel told Outsports in 2016, “I love writing about more niche sports because I think the stories are that much more interesting, more relatable. There have been cracks of homophobia in every sport I’ve covered, but for the most part I’ve felt like I could just be myself and none of that would be an issue.” — Shelby Weldon
75) Kirk Walker
UCLA softball coach, Sports Equality Foundation board
Kirk Walker is a softball coach currently serving as associate head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He first came out to his players in 2005, and in 2007 he shared his story publicly with Outsports — and for many years remained the only publicly out gay male DI coach. After so many years in the game, his visibility has certainly impacted the lives of many coming up in the sport. “Although it’s only my story, it has definitely changed a lot of people’s perspectives — just internally, of how they view themselves. It tells them there’s a little bit of hope. ‘It may not be the right time for me, but this can happen.’” — Cyd Zeigler
76) Steve Mason
Radio Host, ESPN Los Angeles
It’s not easy being gay in the macho and cutthroat world of sports talk radio. But when ESPN Radio host Steve Mason came out on his show in 2016, he hit the perfect note. During a segment with radio partner John Ireland mocking the Atlanta Falcons’ pre-draft questions to cornerback Eli Apple, he repeatedly said he liked men. When asked why he didn’t come out sooner, Mason said he didn’t want to be defined by his sexuality. Mason has since created a scholarship for LGBTQ students looking for a career in sports media. Still a fixture on sports radio today, he’s shown that being gay is just one part of his, or any gay man’s, identity. “I was always afraid that in some way it would come out and I would not have control of it as a story,” he said in a 2016 interview. “Now there’s a big weight off of my shoulders.” — Alex Reimer
77) Theo Rabinowitz
Freelance Operations Support, CBS Sports, Warner Sports
Theo Rabinowitz has worked at CBS Sports for 19 years, working with the Production and Operations teams on shows such as “The NFL Today,” as well as college basketball. During his tenure, he has supported Super Bowl coverage and has been on hand at the NCAA Men’s Final Four, coordinating with talent for the studio shows. Rabinowitz, who came out in 2015, is actively involved in pitching LGBTQ sports content and employee engagement ideas for the network and has been instrumental in Outsports’ coverage of various stories. — Cyd Zeigler
78) Anouk Patty
Chief of Sport, U.S. Ski and Snowboard
Anouk Patty is Chief of Sport for U.S. Ski and Snowboard. An alum of the U.S. Ski Team, she also boasts a decades-long career working in tech and brings her intersection of skills and unique perspective to the leadership level of Olympic sport. As a gay woman, she understands the kind of support LGBTQ athletes will require both personally and institutionally within an organization. “I have the opportunity to actually make a difference in this specific area,” she told OUTVoices. “I’m working hard to make it a really inclusive, welcoming environment.” — Shelby Weldon
79) Jill Ellis
President, San Diego Wave
Jill Ellis is a legend of women’s soccer and the President of San Diego Wave FC in the NWSL. She first came to fame nationwide in 2015 winning two back to back FIFA Women’s World Cup titles as head coach of the US Women’s National Team. Ellis married her wife, Betsy Stephenson, in 2013, and the pair have a daughter. “You either have to get it out there and be an advocate for it or talk openly about it,” she said in a 2019 interview reflecting on the responsibility of the historic queer visibility of the USWNT during her tenure. “We, as members of those communities, we need to probably advocate more for ourselves.” — Shelby Weldon
80) Ross Forman
Head of Media Relations, IMPACT Wrestling
Ross Forman is a true LGBTQ trailblazer, a gay executive in professional who has been out in the industry for many years. Currently the head of media relations for IMPACT Wrestling, he has helped LGBTQ wrestlers like Gisele Shaw and Jai Vidal share their stories. Check out our feature story on Ross Forman. — Brian Bell
