While there has been some degree of progress over the previous 18 months, sexual preference continues to be an issue in the insular world of North American sports. Locker rooms still can’t be counted on to provide an atmosphere in which a gay, male athlete would feel comfortable in coming out and revealing his sexuality to team-mates.
This week we learned about the positive experiences of a Major League Baseball umpire who recently came out. Just hours later, we witnessed a player incident that can only be described as significantly less progressive.
Back in October, when the MLB season was hitting its post-season stride, Referee published a profile on Dale Scott, an umpire of 29 years whose esteemed career has included working World Series and All-Star Games. In addition to recalling the highlights of Scott’s life both on and away from the playing field, the profile included a photo of Scott and his partner, Michael Rauch, with whom he has been in a relationship for nearly three decades.
On Tuesday, some two months after the initial publication, outsports.com brought the news that Scott had become the first openly gay umpire/referee in North American sports to a larger, more mainstream forum.
Scott, approached by reporter Jim Buzinski during the playoffs, was concerned that such non-baseball news could pose a distraction during the post-season and asked that the story be delayed. The request granted, Scott repaid Buzinski’s responsible journalism with enlightening insight as to what life as a gay umpire has been like.
The first 10 years of my Major League umpire career, I would have been horrified if a story had come out that I was gay. But guys unprovoked started to approach me and say, ‘I just want you to know that I would walk on the field with you any day, you’re a great guy, a great umpire and I couldn’t care less about your personal life.’ Basically what they were saying without me provoking it was ‘I know and I don’t care.’ That meant a lot to me because it surprised me since I had not brought it up.
I think Major League Baseball has proven that it certainly isn’t an issue with them. I’ve worked three World Series, I’ve worked the playoffs consistently, I’ve been a crew chief for 12 years. Obviously, if they had an issue with my life, it would be shown in my career with lack of assignments.
I am extremely grateful that Major League Baseball has always judged me on my work and nothing else and that’s the way it should be.
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who is in his final days leading up to his impending retirement, reacted positively to the news:
To his friends and colleagues throughout the game, Dale is universally regarded as a class act. All of us at MLB are very proud of him, just as we have always been.
It’s particularly significant that Scott’s colleagues have been aware of his sexuality for close to two decades. Officials at MLB headquarters in New York have also been in the know. That means, at least amongst umpires and league officials, an atmosphere has existed where a gay umpire can do his job without issue for a substantial period. That Scott had not made any public statements about his sexuality since his fellow umps figured out his sexual preference seems to be a matter of personal choice, rather than the ump having to hold back because of an intimidating locker room culture. The men in blue were somewhat ahead of their time, at least in this context of sports culture.
That level of acceptance has yet to fully integrate into the clubhouse.
With 1,040 players on 40-man rosters across 30 teams in MLB, it’s pretty safe to assume that there is at least one gay player. Yet no one has felt confident or comfortable enough to come out - incidents such as the one which took place in Minnesota on Wednesday are a reminder of why one might struggle with such a decision.
The Minnesota Twins’ Torii Hunter was asked about his support for Arkansas Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson. During the recent campaign, Hunter’s endorsement of Hutchinson included a radio ad that included the following script:
...Asa is committed to the principles we hold dear. Like a strong faith in God, equal justice for all, and keeping marriage between one man and one woman.
The endorsement brought criticism across the twitterspehere:
— rooth (@effyeahtigers) November 1, 2014I'm officially done with this guy. #Tigers #ToriiHunter #LivingInTheDarkAges #PleaseRetire #BuhBye http://t.co/9LZTLZnFbg
— psychedelicatessen (@MentalRiot) October 31, 2014Torii Hunter is a bigot. He's supporting a bigot in Asa Hutchinson. Taste the rainbow you fucking bigots!!!
— Istences D'Austere (@TautologyTiger) October 30, 2014Quoting America's greatest civil rights leader in protest of granting minority civil rights? Special kind of stupid. http://t.co/y6fFVcJvhT
Reporter Mike Berardino asked Hunter if he would continue to endorse such ideals.
No. I mean, nah. There’s nothing to talk about. You already know, so why keep talking about it? I said it. It is what it is. No, I’m not going to talk about it if you bring it up.
It’s not even baseball related. We can do that later, when I retire. Then I’ll tell you the truth – everything.
Then Hunter took Berardino to task for his line of questioning.
Hey, Mike is kind of a prick huh? No, seriously, you’re a prick man. I don’t even know you. You’re a prick. Seriously. Ain’t nothing wrong with that man, that’s your job. He’s definitely a prick, though.
Berardino later issued a statement rationalizing his line questioning, claiming that he wanted to provide Hunter with “an opportunity to respond to his critics”. Berardino’s statement wasn’t necessary – Hunter made his endorsement public, there was a reaction to his stance on gay marriage, and a journalist asked for a response during a time in which he was made available. There is no issue there.
In the meantime, while Hunter’s comments are far from representative of attitudes across the league, they hardly contribute towards an environment that would make gay athletes think more than twice about being able to live and work without fear.
In the outsports.com piece, Dale Scott also said: “Now people joke with me because it’s that elephant in the room that’s not in the room any more”.
Sadly, for now, with a Michael Sam, Robbie Rogers or Jason Collins yet to emerge in baseball, elephants continue to occupy significant space in locker rooms just down the hall.
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