--- title: Dale Scott Becomes First Openly Gay Active Major League Baseball Umpire description: Scott has been an MLB umpire for 29 years canonical: https://time.com/3614416/dale-scott-gay-mlb-umpire/ author: Sports Illustrated article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-02T19:34:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T02:30:54.281Z article:section: Sports og:title: Dale Scott Becomes First Openly Gay Active Major League Baseball Umpire og:description: Scott has been an MLB umpire for 29 years og:url: https://time.com/3614416/dale-scott-gay-mlb-umpire/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8cfe7ebd96c2c2c/69876bf95f570f647cb13e67/dale-scott-umpire.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Dale Scott og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Dale Scott Becomes First Openly Gay Active Major League Baseball Umpire twitter:description: Scott has been an MLB umpire for 29 years twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc8cfe7ebd96c2c2c/69876bf95f570f647cb13e67/dale-scott-umpire.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Baseball Umpire Comes Out as Gay in First for Pro Sports > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Sports Illustrated](https://time.com/author/sports-illustrated/) ## Sports Illustrated Dec 2, 2014 7:34 PM UTC  Umpire Dale Scott officiates a game between the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 7, 2013, in Seattle, Wa. Umpire Dale Scott officiates a game between the Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 7, 2013, in Seattle, Wa.Elaine Thompson—AP by [Sports Illustrated](https://time.com/author/sports-illustrated/) ## Sports Illustrated Dec 2, 2014 7:34 PM UTC Major League Baseball umpire Dale Scott is the first active male official to come out as gay in the four major professional American sports leagues. Scott discussed his sexuality in an [interview with OutSports](http://www.outsports.com/2014/12/2/7295993/major-league-baseball-umpire-dale-scott-gay-coming-out) published Tuesday. He previously came out in the October issue of [_Referee_ magazine](http://www.referee.com/), in which the umpire was profiled. _Referee_, which is subscription-only, has a circulation of roughly 45,000. A photograph showed Scott with his husband and had the following caption: --- > “” --- Scott has been an MLB umpire for 29 years. Major League Baseball officials and other league umpires were already aware of Scott’s sexuality even before the_Referee_ magazine story was published, according to OutSports. Scott told OutSports that when the piece ran in the magazine, nobody even mentioned the photo to him. Scott also said that while he would have been “horrified” if a story came out that he was gay early in his career, individuals around the league have personally given him their support throughout his career, making the decision to go public easier. The umpire, who was the crew chief for this year’s NLDS between the [Dodgers](http://www.si.com/mlb/team/los-angeles-dodgers) and [Cardinals](http://www.si.com/mlb/team/st-louis-cardinals), has worked three World Series. “I am extremely grateful that Major League Baseball has always judged me on my work and nothing else and that’s the way it should be,” Scott told OutSports. Violet Palmer, the first female referee in the NBA, [announced in July](http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/31/violet-palmer-nba-female-referee-announces-gay) that she is gay. No active Major League Baseball player has publicly announced he is gay. 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