MLB Umpire Dale Scott Comes Out as Gay
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Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Longtime Major League Baseball umpire Dale Scott recently came out as gay — saying the feedback he’s received has been “all positive.”
Scott, an umpire for the past 29 seasons and the first openly gay male official of a major U.S. sports league, was profiled this past October in Referee magazine.
When the magazine asked Scott to submit non-game photos, Scott decided to send a photo with his husband, according to an Outsports.com article published Tuesday with the headline, “MLB Umpire Dale Scott Comes Out as Gay in Quietest Way Possible.”
When asked by ABC News about the growing reaction in social media so far, he said, “If it’s something that could possibly help somebody who reads this story and wants to pursue an umpire career and needs a little encouragement, it’s well worth the effort.”
The baseball community, including former pitcher Curt Schilling, have reacted via Twitter:
@outsports @BMcCarthy32 @MLB @SBNation Dale Scott might be one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and was a HELL of an umpire.
— Curt Schilling (@gehrig38) December 2, 2014
I guess Dale Scott threw himself out http://t.co/RzTVgcy1Qy
— Mattheim Sussroller (@suss2hyphens) December 2, 2014
Scott married Michael Rausch last November, though they have been together for 28 years.
“I realize this is kind of a big deal, but it’s kind of funny to me,” Scott said. “Like I said in the article, Major League Baseball, the umpires, staff and my peers who I’ve been working with for years — many of them have met and know Mike. In a way, I’m not surprised at the reaction, because I guess it is a big story. But in baseball and as far as the people I work with, it’s not news quite frankly.”
For now, Scott said he is enjoying the offseason from his homes in Portland and in Palm Springs, California.
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