Editorials

MLB News: Umpire Dale Scott Becomes First Official To Come Out

[new_royalslider id=”76″] As the times change and society continues to progress, there has been a shift in the gay community that has allowed more people to be more comfortable being themselves.

Last year Jason Collins became the first athlete in the four major sports to come out about his sexuality. After his coming out, he then became the first admitted gay athlete to play when he was signed by the Brooklyn Nets. Football player Michael Sam also came out before the NFL Draft this year and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams, but did not make the team out of training camp.



While no player in MLB has come out yet, umpire Dale Scott recently revealed his sexuality through a photo in Referee magazine that showed Scott and his partner, Michael Rausch. Scott then talked more in-depth about the decision to Jim Buzinski of Outsports.com:

My thought process was,” Scott told Outsports in his first interview on the subject, “is that there’s a story about my career and how I got started in umpiring and they’re talking to people I have known since junior high and it didn’t seem right to have a whole story and pictures without a picture of Mike and I, someone who’s been with me through this entire process. We met the October after my first year in the big leagues.

Scott will start his 30th season in the big leagues in 2015, and he is a crew chief that has worked three World Series. The 55-year-old married his partner in November after 28 years in a relationship.

He said that many in the profession have known his truth for years and gave praise to MLB:

I am extremely grateful that Major League Baseball has always judged me on my work and nothing else,” Scott told Outsports.com in an article published Tuesday. “And that’s the way it should be.”

It’s another step forward for national acceptance to the gay community and a positive showing for baseball that it has not treated Scott any different.

Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

2 Comments

  1. Congratulations on the marriage and coming out, along with being a positive influence for the younger gay generation. And to also show people that being gay is just an aspect of who we are and that we we are as capable as any other person to handle any kind of job.

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