Nearly trampled on by the bright lights of a Game 7 and the primetime coverage of the good versus bad tilt in Chicago, Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts took a courageous and huge step.
In a New York Times article, Welts revealed that he is gay. After 40 years spent in the sports business, and never feeling confident or comfortable enough to come out and say it, Welts finally did.
He spoke with many people associated with the NBA, including friends David Stern, Bill Russell and Steve Nash in the weeks before making his statement, attempting to gauge what the public’s response would be.
In these meetings and in interviews with The New York Times, Mr. Welts explained that he wants to pierce the silence that envelops the subject of homosexuality in men’s team sports. He wants to be a mentor to gay people who harbor doubts about a sports career, whether on the court or in the front office. Most of all, he wants to feel whole, authentic.
“This is one of the last industries where the subject is off limits,” said Mr. Welts, who stands now as a true rarity, a man prominently employed in professional men’s team sports, willing to declare his homosexuality. “Nobody’s comfortable in engaging in a conversation.”
Dr. Richard Lapchick, the founder and director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, and the son of the basketball legend Joe Lapchick, agreed. “The fact that there’s no other man who has done this before speaks directly to how hard it must be for Rick to do this now,” he said.
Mr. Stern did not find the discussion with Mr. Welts awkward or even surprising; he had long known that his friend was gay, but never felt that he had license to broach the subject. Whatever I can do to help, the affably gruff commissioner said. He sensed the decades of anguish that had led the very private Mr. Welts to go public.
The timing was incredible. As Welts was speaking with friends and people around the sports world about his plan, Kobe Bryant was caught on television mouthing “f$%^&*@ faggot” at a ref while Grant Hill and Jared Dudley were recording a public service announcement on hate speech.
Sports are an extension of the playgrounds that we all grow up in during elementary schools, and thus the rampant use of terms such as “gay” and “faggot” around the game may never totally fade. But if people can learn to grow comfortable speaking on the topic, it will do a world of good and hopefully destroy the ignorance and fear that surrounds the issue. This extends far beyond the locker room. It isn’t just gay athletes or people working in sports who can feel trapped. There are people everywhere who feel as Welts does. And the more dialogue we have, the more comfortable people will become.
Welts says he wants to become a role model for gay people who wish to pursue careers in sports. He’s done it, and risen to the very top of his profession. Now with the podium he has, Welts is trying to bring about change.
What do you think?
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