Phoenix Suns President On Coming Out

Phoenix Suns President Comes Out

The president of the Phoenix Suns NBA franchise has come out. Rick Welts is the first such professional sports leader to publicly declare his gayness.

Welts talked separately to NBA commissioner David Stern, Suns guard Steve Nash, Hall of Famer Bill Russell and founding WNBA president Val Ackerman to discuss the message he wished to convey in making his sexual orientation public. The 58-year-old Welts, who began his career as a ball boy for the Seattle SuperSonics, spent several years with Stern in the league office. He was the architect of the All-Star Weekend and helped raise the NBA's profile before leaving for the Suns' front office. Stern was not taken aback or even surprised by the conversation, though he did assume beforehand that Welts had wanted to meet to discuss career advice, according to The Times. "What I didn't say at the time was: I think there's a good chance the world will find this unremarkable," Stern told The Times. "I don't know if I was confusing my thoughts with my hopes."

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of The Watsons, today's Swag Tuesday booty is four tickets to see the WNBA's New York Liberty at Madison Square Garden.

The New York Liberty are bringing sports, entertainment and excitement to The World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, all summer long. With All-Star Cappie Pondexter averaging more than 20 points a game, the Liberty are poised to make a strong bid for the playoffs. With tickets starting at just $10, it is truly Liberty for All.For tickets and schedule information, visit NYLiberty.com. When purchasing tickets, use the "joemygod" code for a discount!

The four-pack of NY Liberty tickets is good for games on August 6th, 14th, or 22nd. Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. If you cannot be in NYC on the selected game days, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite sports-loving homo. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

SPECIAL NOTE: The New York Liberty will be holding their first-ever LGBT Mixer on this Friday, July 30th after the game against Los Angeles. Attend the game and then join some of the players at a post-game party at Madison Square Garden featuring DJ Stacy. Get tickets here.

If Only We All Had A Taxi Guard

The WBNA's New York Liberty have been posting a YouTube series on NYC etiquette. This one's about evil taxi stealers. (If only all cab thieves were so cute.) The last time I gave a cab thief a piece of my mind, her ginormous boyfriend materialized from the shadows to show me his switchblade. True story. West 28th Street.