The 2025 Outsports Power 100 list, which will be published Tuesday, October 14, is better thought of as two lists based on a change on how we viewed ranking the most powerful LGBTQ people in the sports world.
No longer are we ranking our list Nos. 1-100 based solely on the power of their influence. Instead there is a ranked Top 50 and and what we are calling a Rising 50. These Rising 50 honorees will be people never before highlighted in our Power 100. It’s an opportunity to highlight people who are up-and-comers, as well as some people who have been incredible contributors to their teams, leagues or publications and deserve recognition.
The Top 50 features the LGBTQ people in sports we deem the most powerful. On our inaugural list in 2023, tennis legends and Dodgers owners Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss were No. 1, while in 2024 it was WNBA star Brittney Griner. While we won’t reveal the full list until 11 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, we can say that there is a new No. 1.
We used a system that assigned points based on criteria such as job title; league, conference or media affiliation; social media influence; LGBTQ advocacy; whether they are current or former; and for athletes coaches and team executives, how many championships they have won. We used this system to get a ranking that we then refined. We used hard numbers, as well as our instincts honed from covering LGBTQ people in sports for 26 years.
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Our Top 50 shows the breath of LGBTQ participation in sports. There are people from the NBA, NFL, MLB, MLS, NHL, WNBA, NWSL, PWHL, Team USA Olympians, NCAA, pro wrestling, tennis and the media, high school sports plus others. It shows how diverse inclusion is in sports, especially off the field in key management roles.
The list reveal is only a small part of our Power 100 coverage that will include features throughout the rest of the year. You will read about people whose names you know along with people in key roles that may be unknown. This mix is what makes the list so impactful.
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