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. 91-100:
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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91) Hannah Readnour
VP, 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, specializing in licensing photography, footage and music. She is also a leader 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 is also a board member of Homefield Alliance, a network to support LGBTQ sports executives. — Cyd Zeigler
92) Molly Gallatin
Head of inclusion and culture, PGA
Molly Gallatin is the head of inclusion and culture at the PGA of America, where she started working in 2014, determined to be “loud and proud” as a gay woman in her new workplace for the first time. Fortunately, she found a welcoming environment in the golf world, and her role has elevated from brand strategy to inclusion, working to ensure that others in the sport are also given the same space to be themselves. “I’ve never felt any discrimination at the PGA of America,” she said, “and I wish I’d been more comfortable with sharing it earlier in my career.” — Shelby Weldon
93) Raven Saunders
Olympic medalist, shot put
The self-described “Flaming Gay,” Raven Saunders captivated the country in winning the silver medal in women’s shot put at the 2021 Toyko Olympics, doing it while posing and generally having a blast. But Saunders also has a serious mission as an advocate for LGBTQ and other marginalized people and for calling attention to mental issues. Banned from competition until February 2024 for skipping a doping test, Saunders is promising to come back strong in time for the Paris Olympics. “I’ll be back to claim the throne,” she declared. — Jim Buzinski
94) Chris Schneider
Executive Associate Commissioner, Big East
As the executive associate commissioner for Sport Administration and Championships, Chris Schneider provides oversight of 20 conference sports and 15 championship events, senior woman administrators, athletic directors and trainers and is the primary conference contact for the Big East’s Esports initiative. Schneider previously worked at the NCAA and as a senior associate athletic director at Ohio State. — Cyd Zeigler
95) Tim Schlittner
Director, Communications, NFL
Schlittner is director of communications for the NFL, grounded by his background as a AFL-CIO labor activist. During his time with the union he was co-president of its LGBTQ constituency group Pride at Work. “Pride to me is authenticity. It’s honesty. And it’s hope,” Schlittner said in 2017, reflecting on his journey since first coming out as gay in 2005. “I took down my closet door 12 years ago this August. But for too long, I stood in the door frame filled with doubt, pity and self-loathing. That is finally starting to change. Inch by inch. Step by step. Day by day.” — Shelby Weldon
96) EFFY
Pro wrestler and promoter
EFFY is an LGBTQ pro wrestling icon that built himself into a figure whose notoriety spans the length of land and sea without ever signing with a major televised pro wrestling promotion. For our feature story on EFFY, click here. — Brian Bell
97) Marvin Aylor
Director, Partnership Marketing, Pride Group Chair, NASCAR
As director of partnership marketing, Marvin Aylor oversees NASCAR’s relationships with various official partners, including Chevrolet, Comcast, Goodyear and Sunoco. He’s also the chair of NASCAR’s Pride+ ERG, the company’s employee resource group for the LGBTQ community. He’s been with NASCAR in various roles since 2010, excluding a short stint with Octagon. — Cyd Zeigler
98) Erica Sullivan
Olympic medalist, University of Texas athlete and leader
Erica Sullivan was one of only three Team USA LGBTQ athletes to win an individual medal at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, taking home a silver medal in the 1500-meter freestyle. As one of the faces of Speedo, she has been instrumental in the swimwear company’s 2023 Pride initiatives. She’s also been honored by HRC for her work at her school, the University of Texas, where she helps steer the Longhorn Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ support group. She has earned several All-American honors and has been the NCAA national runner-up in the 500-meter freestyle each of the last two years. — Cyd Zeigler
99) Sarah Barber
SVP, Finance and Business Operations, NBC Sports
Sarah Barber is the Senior Vice President of Finance and Business Operations for NBC Sports Next, a subdivision of NBC Sports and home to all digital applications and technology within golf and youth and recreational sports, including SportsEngine, GolfNow, GolfPass, and more. Before she joined NBC Sports in 2020 she held various financial and technology roles at several companies. She is the executive sponsor of the NBC Sports Next OUT employee resource group and has established and led several diversity, equity and inclusion councils and ERGs throughout her career. — Cyd Zeigler
100) Colleen Coyne
President, Boston Pride
In addition to being the President of the Premier Hockey Federation’s Boston Pride, helping the team capture an Isobel Cup championship during the 2021-22 season, Coyne is a 1998 Olympic gold medalist in ice hockey and has a 20-year background working for high-tech startups. She also works as a product manager and marketer for DRIVN, a sports management platform. In 2005 she was elected to the USA Hockey Board of Directors serving on the Executive Committee, and is a current member of the Women’s National Team Advisory Committee. She has been with her partner for nearly 29 years, and together they have three children. — Shelby Weldon
