North Ameri's four biggt pro sports leagu have had only 2 openly gay active players | CNN

Contents:

• 9 BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO CAME OUT AS GAY
• 'IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME FOR THIS:' BRYAN RUBY BE ONLY ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER TO BE OUT AS GAY
• CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: THE ONLY MLB TEAM WH PLAYERS WHO HAVE E OUT AS GAY
• HOW MANY OPENLY GAY MLB PLAYERS HAVE BEEN THERE? HONORG LGBTQ INS OF BASEBALL ON PRI NIGHT
• TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY
• FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT BASEBALL PLAYERSGAY BASEBALL PLAYERS LIST: MLB AND MOR LEAGUERS
• BRYAN RUBY BE FIRST ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
• PRO BASEBALL PLAYER BRYAN RUBY OUT AS GAY
• MOR LEAGUER SOLOMON BAT OUT AS GAYSHARHARE-SQUARE-35403MOR LEAGUER SOLOMON BAT OUT AS GAY
• FIRST OPENLY GAY PRO PLAYER, SEAN CONROY, GETS SHUTOUT HISTORIC START
• BRYAN RUBY BE ONLY ACTIVE PROFSNAL BASEBALL PLAYER TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS
• FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE PCHER T.J. HOE OUT AS GAY
• GLENN BURKE: MLB’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER
• STATISTICS SAY THERE ARE DOZENS OF GAY PRO BASEBALL PLAYERS
• FIRST ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER OUT AS GAY
• ATHLET WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY AFTER RETIREMENT

9 BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO CAME OUT AS GAY

Sce 2016, no homophobic slur has been chanted for the first time, and looks like MLB is dog s bt to change the perspective toward homosexual players. Yet 's Ruby's hidn part of his inty that he now believ n have the biggt impact, partially bee 's so foreign to the worlds of baseball and untry is a gay man, the only active profsnal baseball player at any level to be publicly out.

'IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME FOR THIS:' BRYAN RUBY BE ONLY ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER TO BE OUT AS GAY

" FOLLOW THE MONEY: MLB player salari and payrolls for every major league teamHis g out follows a summer which Las Vegas Rairs fensive end Carl Nassib and Nashville Predators prospect Le Prokop also me out as gay.

"It's not all super rosy, " Ruby ach om past generatns have been subtly homophobic, urgg him to keep his sexual orientatn a secret or to be wh a woman to keep up a ont. Today, as the Los Angel Dodgers prepare to play the World Seri agast the Tampa Bay Rays, -founr Jim Buzski remds that the Dodgers anchise is a part of LGBTQ sports history as havg the only two MLB players who ever were public about beg gay. ” A memorable moment “Out” occurs when is relled that the Dodgers — tryg to stifle mors that a popular player was gay — offered Burke $75, 000 to get married.

CELEBRATG LGBTQ SPORTS HISTORY: THE ONLY MLB TEAM WH PLAYERS WHO HAVE E OUT AS GAY

The Dodgers and their manager, Tom Lasorda, prented a versn of themselv as a clean-cut, All-Amerin team and a flamboyantly gay player uld not be tolerated, pecially one who hung out wh Lasorda’s gay son.

While baseball is still wag for s first openly gay active MLB player, Bean’s elevatn to a posn of thory the missner’s office is a sign that thgs have changed sce the days when Glenn Burke was lled a faggot by his manager. As the MLB ntu embracg the LGBTQ muny, the players have also taken steps towards clivens wh Chigo Whe Sox pcher, Anrson Comás, g out as openly gay. Although Anrson Comás is only the send openly gay MLB player to e out while actively wh an anizatn, the Chigo Whe Sox, he is far om the first openly gay player to play profsnal baseball.

"Former Player of The Day - Billy Bean - Outfielr, #Padr #Tigers #Dodgers #PlayerOfTheDay" - @GayBaseballFanIt has been a long road, but thanks to pneers such as Glenn Burke, Billy Bean, David Denson, and Anrson Comás, baseball is beg a more welg place for everyone.

HOW MANY OPENLY GAY MLB PLAYERS HAVE BEEN THERE? HONORG LGBTQ INS OF BASEBALL ON PRI NIGHT

Miñoso’s son Charlie is gay and on the one-year anniversary of Mnie’s ath, he penned a movg tribute revealg the heartfelt fatherly love he received after g out. When Colorado signed the lamentable Daniel Murphy 2019, a group of Rocki fans started an iative lled “Bas For Pri” which raised donatns for LGBTQ chari based on the homophobic first baseman’s offensive performance.

An important baseball barrier was broken the Brewers anizatn 2015 when David Denson beme the first mor leaguer to e out as gay while still an active player. After the New York Post prted a mor than an anonymo Mets star was gay, Piazza felt the need to ll an hont-to-god prs nference to announce “I’m not gay. Glenn Burke fished his reer wh a troubled tenure Oakland, as his last two seasons wh the A’s were marred by fights wh hecklers and anti-gay slurs om homophobic and profoundly overrated manager Billy Mart.

TOP 10 ATHLET WHO ARE RUMORED TO BE GAY

Then after Yunel Esbar’s and Kev Pillar’s anti-gay slurs embarrassed the anizatn, Toronto partnered wh You Can Play to brg back Pri 2018 and did right.

An outfielr for the Los Angel Dodgers and the Oakland A's between 1976 and 1979, Glenn Burke beme the first Major League Baseball player to e out as gay to teammat and owners while still active, though the team asked that he keep his sexualy secret om the public and he plied.

@billybeanballThe only livg Major League Baseball veteran who has e out as gay, outfielr Billy Bean played for the Tigers, Dodgers, and Padr over a reer that spanned om 1987 to 1995.

FAMEWATCHER SEARCH PRIMARY MENU SKIP TO NTENT HOMECELEBRY HAIR TRANSPLANTCELEBRY PLASTIC SURGERYCELEBRY LEATHER JACKETBODY SHAPER SEARCH FOR: GAY MALE ATHLET, HOT BASEBALL PLAYERSGAY BASEBALL PLAYERS LIST: MLB AND MOR LEAGUERS

He me out four years after retirg om the field, and wrote his 2003 book Gog the Other Way: Lsons From a Life and Out of Major League Baseball that the bullyg and homophobic world of baseball led him to walk away om pro ball. @_DavidD_41A first baseman for the Helena Brewers, rhe Milwkee Brewers' rookie affiliate team Montana, David Denson 2015 beme the first player affiliated wh Major League Baseball to e out as gay. "I experienced both ach and players make remarks on killg gay people durg my time baseball, and each ment felt like a knife to my heart, " he said.

@tampaMarkJWhen Mark Johnson and teammat won a champnship for the Universy of Tampa 1998, he still was nial about his gay sexualy, he told Outsports, but he beme more nfint over his adult life. When Tyson Lk, director of baseball operatns at the Universy of South Carola, cid on Natnal Comg Out Day 2016 to publicly reveal he was gay, he beme the first person Divisn I llege baseball to ever e out as LGBT. An umpire for Major League Baseball most notable for a rather famo row wh Pete Rose, Dave Pallone would eventually be ducted to the first class of the Natnal Gay and Lbian Sports Hall of Fame.

Atralian A-League soccer star Josh Cavallo me out as gay an October vio posted to his social media, beg hailed as the first current male top-flight profsnal soccer player to publicly do so.

BRYAN RUBY BE FIRST ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER TO E OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

"He ntued: "Growg up I always felt the need to hi myself, you know, bee I was ashamed, and ashamed I'll never be able to do what I love and be gay.

The 28-year-old Natnal Football League player and Rairs fensive leman ma history when he me out as gay on Instagram durg Pri Month, beg the first veteran NFL player to e out as gay while signed to a regular-season ntract. The Bachelor star and former football player (who was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted ee agent and was on the practice squad of the Oakland Rairs and the Philalphia Eagl) me out as gay April, sayg he had fally e to terms wh his sexualy and the "next step all of this was sort of lettg people know.

Corey Walsh, the 27-year-old pro BMX rir and Vans spokperson, said he isn't normally the type of person to "let people " on his personal life, but felt was important to e out as gay a March Instagram post bee "there are a lot of people still stgglg wh the same suatns" and he "jt wanted to let people know that they are not alone.

PRO BASEBALL PLAYER BRYAN RUBY OUT AS GAY

Champn long track speedskater Conor McDermott-Mostowy never hid beg gay om his fay, iends, and fellow athlet, but he also wasn't one to rate his locker wh rabow Pri flags eher.

The purpose of this list is to go a b more pth about some of the mors that are surroundg the players, not to nvce the rear that the athlet are gay. In fact, as society is now much more open to people no matter their orientatn, we have seen a ton more athlet, both active and retired, e out and adm that they are homosexuals, and 's absolutely a great thg. This list will look at some of the most high profile exampl of pro athlet who have had mors about beg gay surroundg them, but aga, none of those are nfirmed and even if they were nfirmed, they would be somethg to celebrate.

MOR LEAGUER SOLOMON BAT OUT AS GAYSHARHARE-SQUARE-35403MOR LEAGUER SOLOMON BAT OUT AS GAY

Qutns about Aikman's sexual orientatn have been around for s and the mor was started by Skip Bayls, when, his book, he stated that Troy Aikman might be gay. Let’s add the followg to our list of gay baseballers:Jason Burch, pcher for mor league teams (Johnson Cy Cardals, Peoria Chiefs, GCL Orl, New Hampshire Fisher Cats, and more): He me out this year an terview wh ’s what he says about playg the mor leagu: “Anyone who has played wh me and has been the bullpen wh me knows I’m not aaid to talk about sex or gay rights or femism or anythg that some people might nsir amic.

That feelg of beg relied upon, that people mt turn to you as a closer to make thgs right, to have that role – and to have people have that feelg about me that role – as a gay man, I thk that would have been a powerful msage.

FIRST OPENLY GAY PRO PLAYER, SEAN CONROY, GETS SHUTOUT HISTORIC START

John tells more about beg a gay baseballer and has some words of advice to about g out to athlet who are planng to (via): “Playg 162 gam a year, you spend a lot of time wh your teammat. First let’s start wh gay baseball player mors like this one om the New York Daily News: “Athlete is a Swch Hter: Which baseball heartthrob may be playg for the other team?

By some, we mean actually jt two of them: William Daro “Billy” Bean who played for the Detro Tigers, the Los Angel Dodgers, and the San Diego Padr durg a major league reer that spanned om 1987 to 1995 and Glenn Burke who played for the Los Angel Dodgers and the Oakland has earned the distctn as the first, and so far the only, baseball star (and maybe the only one team sports) to acknowledge his homosexualy while still playg is reported to have ma this awome statement which every gay man sports should take to heart: “They n’t ever say now that a gay man n’t play the majors, bee I’m a gay man and I ma . ”If you want to know more about Glenn Burke, you should check out his tobgraphy, Out at Home: The Glenn Burke Bean is the send Major League Baseball athlete to have e out as a gay man. His g out story 1999 or four years after he retired om baseball ma to the ont page of The New York Burke, Billy also wrote a book about his life as a gay ball player entled Gog the Other Way: Lsons om a life and out of Major League is he dog now?

BRYAN RUBY BE ONLY ACTIVE PROFSNAL BASEBALL PLAYER TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

An old photo of baseball stars Derek “Boner” Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Alex Gonzalez, Rey Ordonez, and Edgar Renteria lookg like they’re a gay bathhoe or should have clud the Speedo wearg Gabe Kapler, don’t you thk? Bryan Ruby envisns a better world of cln and thenticy baseball, so he's sharg his story to be part of the is the latt profsnal male athlete this summer to talk so openly about beg gay by speakg wh USA Today Sports' Stt Gleon. (Photo by Mchell Layton/Getty Imag)Billy Bean me out as gay after his retirement the 1990s and is now the league's vice print and special assistant to the missner.

Augt 10th, 2022SAN DIEGO -- Former Giants Mor League pcher Solomon Bat me out publicly as gay an Instagram post on Tuday, also announcg that he had been released by the anizatn.

NORTH AMERI’S FOUR BIGGT PRO SPORTS LEAGU HAVE BEEN AROUND A BED 398 YEARS. THEY’VE HAD TWO OPENLY GAY ACTIVE PLAYERS

”Bat is the send Mor League player to e out as gay, jog former Brewers farmhand David Denson, who beme the first openly gay player affiliated baseball 2015. No active Major League player has e out as gay, though Billy Bean, who now works as MLB’s senr vice print for diversy, equy and cln, and Glenn Burke both me out after their playg reers end.

-- Baseball history was ma Northern California we untry Thursday night when the sport's first active profsnal player to e out as gay pched a shutout before an enthiastic crowd that seemed more imprsed wh his performance than his role as a Conroy, 23, led the Sonoma Stompers to a 7-0 victory durg his first start wh the 22-man team that is part of the pennt Pacific Associatn of Baseball Clubs.

"The atmosphere at Arnold Field, the Stompers' 370-seat home field, was low-key, wh no obv signs was a historic game or even gay pri night at the ballpark -- except for the rabow-striped socks and arm warmers some players (but not Conroy) Stompers did not make a special announcement or ll attentn to the tone so Conroy uld foc on his pchg, general manager Theo Fightmaster the startg lp was announced, however, Conroy got the loust cheer. "We've had gay people here forever; 's not like 's a big al, " said Barry Bosshard, who along wh his wife, Lra, is puttg up Conroy and another player at their home durg the Stompers' 78-game season. Fightmaster says Conroy privately shared his sexual orientatn wh teammat and management before agreeg to e out publicly time for the team's gay pri night.

FORMER MAJOR LEAGUE PCHER T.J. HOE OUT AS GAY

"His goal has always been to be the first openly gay baseball player, so he was very much favor of tellg the story, of rryg that torch, " he Do, 67, attend the game wh 25 iends om a lol group for LGBT senrs and was one of three fans picked to throw out a first pch. "While this pcher who was unknown to me before your ll may not be a prospect for Major League Baseball, he certaly serv our applse, " Thorn, who had earned four sav as a closer for the Stompers before takg the mound as a starter for the first time, said he told his fay he was gay at age 16 and was open wh his high school, summer league and llege teams.

"It don't matter if he pch the big leagu or not; he's gog to bee a lear (tonight) many ways, " Bean 's history-makg start me at a watershed moment for gay rights, wh the U. Supreme Court schled to le any day now on whether to make same-sex marriage legal across the Vogler, 50, -owner of a lol pany that sponsors LGBT tours and events we untry, marveled om behd a fence not far om the tcher as he watched Conroy throw some of what turn out to be 140 grew up another part of Sonoma County and left as soon as he uld bee the anti-gay hostily was so high. Ruby is an fielr wh the Salem-Keizer Volno the Mavericks Inpennt Baseball 's announcement shortly after other active profsnal athlet Carl Nassib (NFL) and Le Prokop (NHL) me out publicly as gay earlier this an terview wh USA Today, Ruby explaed why he me out now and what he hop his announcement will lead to.

"This is a great day for the league and baseball, " Bean told Outsports about Hoe's told Outsports the prospect of beg only the third out MLB player was dntg, pecially after he heard what others say about gay people. The Las Vegas Rairs fensive end is now jt one of two openly gay active players the history of the four biggt North Amerin sports leagu (the Natnal Football League, Natnal Basketball Associatn, Major League Baseball and the Natnal Hockey League).

GLENN BURKE: MLB’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PLAYER

Homophobic language is still a regular feature of playg on a boys’ sports team the US and abroad, Denison’s rearch shows – one of his studi found that more than half of the ice hockey and gby players he terviewed said they’d ed slurs.

STATISTICS SAY THERE ARE DOZENS OF GAY PRO BASEBALL PLAYERS

Regular exposure to slurs or stereotyp eventually rerc among players that their succs as an athlete is tied to an ia of masculy that exclus gay men, he said.

Denison scribed what he lls a “cycle of excln” that begs when a boy hears ach or olr players e homophobic language and observ a “posive rponse” to that behavr – maybe they lgh at each other, or the ach don’t challenge them, he said.

FIRST ACTIVE PRO BASEBALL PLAYER OUT AS GAY

“We often fd that male ach ntue to e homophobic language and teach nformy to this tough mascule athlete inty that don’t really exist, ” he said.

ATHLET WHO HAVE COME OUT AS GAY AFTER RETIREMENT

As a child, before Davis unrstood what meant to be LGBTQ, he was already absorbg the norms beg set around him durg practice – that “beg gay those walls was unsafe, that [he] would be danger. Almost 50 years earlier, there was Glenn Burke, a buddg Los Angel Dodgers star whose reer was cut short by homophobia the 1970s, argu Andrew Maraniss, an thor and special projects ordator wh Vanrbilt Universy Athletics, his book on Burke.

The next season, Burke was trad to the Oakland A’s, where a ach lled him a homophobic slur and said he would “ntamate” the team, Maraniss wrote. “He was a phenomenal athlete at the time when majory of straight sports fans the untry assumed that there’s no way there uld even be a gay player the game, let alone the most popular player on his team, ” Maraniss said.

Hoe me out as gay and announced his engagement to his partner, Ryan Nezel, an emotnal social media post, who pched for the Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays om 2014 to 2017, said he lived out his childhood dream of playg profsnal baseball Cleveland at 23, but that he ed as a “dg” to “numb what was really gog on si. Though he didn’t officially “e out” to the media until after his playg days were over, Burke was fairly open about his homosexualy durg his time the majors, somethg which ultimately proved extremely trimental to his reer. While none of his Dodgers teammat seemed to have an issue wh him beg gay— fact, Burke may have been the most well-liked player on the 1977 NL Champnship-wng LA squad—skipper Tom Lasorda (whose son was close iends wh Glenn) and the team’s ont office were far ls acceptg of his orientatn.