Rick Welts is one of the top executives with the Phoenix Suns. He's been around the game for 40 years and is regarded as one of the best marketing minds in the league. Welts is the guy widely credited for bringing the dunk contest to the All-Star game festivities.
↵I've talked to Rick a few times and recall vividly an interview I did with him in the lobby of the Phoenix Convention Center at the beginning of the 2009 All-Star week. It was proud moment for Welts.
↵"This is really going to give people an opportunity to see the city in a very different way," he said.
↵Today we should be proud of Rick for having the guts to come out and be who he is and do his part to break down one of society's last barriers - homosexuality in sports.
↵↵↵A Sports Executive Leaves the Safety of His Shadow Life - NYTimes.com
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"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."
Well said, Mr. Welts. You have my full support.
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Rick Welts surveys the opening of the 2009 All-Star festivities in the lobby of the Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, AZ.
↵Visit Bright Side of the Sun for more discussion on this topic and a poll of fan reaction.