Add Kevin McClatchy to the list of sports personalities who have come out of the closet—but after leaving the game.
McClathy was the CEO of the Pittsburgh Pirates for 11 years before retiring in 2007, and in an interview with the New York Times, he revealed he is gay. The McClatchy news first appeared on the Times' website on Saturday and in print on Sunday.
"I've got a birthday coming up where I'm turning [50 years-] old," McClathy told New York Times' writer Frank Bruni. "I've spent 30 years—or whatever the number is specifically—not talking about my personal life, lying about my personal life."
McClatchy told the Times that, in coming out, he hopes to help inspire a player to come out while active.
McClatchy follows baseball player Billy Bean, football player Esera Tuaolo and basketball player John Amaechi who each came out after retiring from their sports.
"Tens of thousands of people have played either professional minor league baseball or major league baseball. Not one has come out and said that they're gay while they're playing," McClatchy told the Times. "You're not going to solve any problem until you start a dialogue. And there's no dialogue right now."
McClatchy is in a committed relationship, according to the Times.
He was this past May named the Chairman of the Board for The McClatchy Company, a Sacramento-based publishing group with 30 daily newspapers in 15 states under its banner. McClatchy spent almost a decade working in the newspaper business, including sales positions with The Newspaper Network, The Sacramento Bee and The Miami Herald, according to the company website. He is the first McClatchy family member to serve as Chairman of the Board since 1995.
Brian Kupersmit, the president of the predominantly gay Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association, praised McClatchy for coming out.
"We [at CMSA] applaud Kevin McClatchy for joining the ranks of athletes and sporting executives who have decided to be open and honest about their sexual orientation," Kupersmit said in a statement. "Coming on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the end of 'Don't ask, don't tell,' this is another reminder that gays and lesbians can and do serve effectively, even in seemingly conservative institutions and organizations. We hope his example empowers other closeted people from the world of sports to stop hiding and to be themselves."
McClatchy also follows the coming-out of Rick Welts, now the president and CEO of basketball's Golden State Warriors. Welts came out May 15, 2011, also in an interview with the New York Times. He was the president and CEO of the Phoenix Suns at the time. Welts was profiled in an exclusive interview with Windy City Times earlier this year. See the March 4, 2012, story at: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Gay-NBA-exec-Rick-Welts-On-coming-out-resulting-support-/37078.html .
Cyd Zeigler, the co-founder of Outsports.com, said McClatchy's coming-out is confirmation what his popular gay sports website already knew: "Gay people are in every corner of sports."
"What makes this special is the power owners have to shape the landscape of sports," Zeigler said. "More owners, gay and straight, should be talking about this issue and publicly embracing gay athletes, coaches and front-office executives."
Cameron Turner, 40, of Chicago, plays five sports in CMSA, and is the captain for the only top-tiered A-Division softball team in CMSA. He said anytime someone associated with one of the big-four male professional sports (baseball, basketball, football and hockey) comes out, "it's a step in the right direction."
That said, Turner added, "I see this still as little more than a baby step. We still await the day when an active athlete can feel like he can come out and not have it negatively impact his career nor be a major distraction to his team. Perhaps, even if ever so slightly, McClatchy's coming-out brings us closer to that day."
Jeff Book, 30, who lives in suburban Elk Grove Village, plays tennis, softball and flag football in CMSA—and is a diehard Chicago White Sox fan. He said the McClatchy news, "is a great step forward for gays in sports." He added, though, that it, "reinforces the need for tolerance since Kevin stated that he constantly heard homophobic remarks. The more players and executives who support gay rights, [that] will hopefully pave the way for a player to come out during [his] playing career."
McClatchy's coming-out came days after action was taken against a current baseball player involved in a much-publicized anti-gay situation.
Yunel Escobar, 29, who was born in Cuba, has played in the majors since 2007, and is now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, wrote 'You are a faggot' in Spanish on his eye-black stickers during a game against the Boston Red Sox on Sept. 15. In Spanish, it said: Tu ere maricon.
The Blue Jays suspended Escobar for three games and his salary—about $100,000—for those three games will be donated to the You Can Play project and GLAAD, according to multiple media reports.
Escobar, at a press conference and through a translator, said: "I don't have anything against homosexuals. I have friends who are gay. In reality, I'd like to ask for [forgiveness from] anyone offended by this. Honestly, I'm going to be going forward with the three-game suspension that's coming forward. The salary for those three days will be donated to You Can Play."
