One would agree, that it appears to be divine timing as the Phoenix Suns basketball operations Ryan Resch recently has announced that he’s gay, reported Kevin Arnovitz for ESPN . Oddly, throughout our country and the times now, there are very prevalent people who are gay. A gay man runs Apple currently, is governor of Colorado, and some run Fortune 500 companies. However, in modern-day men’s sports, it seems almost non-existent.
Resch expressed his ultimate aim to normalize the presence of gay individuals, both within and outside the league, in the basketball community.
When did Ryan Resch Come Out to the Phoenix Suns?
In 2011, Suns CEO Rick Welts came out, which made him the league’s first openly gay executive. By this point, he was well established and highly respect amongst the league, in fact, he created All-Star Weekend. Welts worked closely in what most consider the “front office”. However, these are two entirely different entities from the players. The buildings are purposely set miles apart.
Unlike Welts, Resch works in basketball operations where he can practically hear them calling plays in practice. Welts normally dresses in business attire while Resch normally wears sweats. Now that the scene is set, one can see the tremendous difference between the two and their relationships with the organization and players.
Resch comes out to GM James Jones (mentor) in December. Also, support from co-workers was overwhelming comforting. In fact, many of them encouraged and respect Resch even more than they did prior.
Luke Loucks, who played basketball at Florida State, joined Mike Brown’s coaching staff in Sacramento, and previously worked under Resch in Phoenix, shared, “Ryan’s coming out didn’t have a significant impact on our day-to-day operations or our personal bond. We admire his bravery and appreciate him for confiding in us, but it didn’t alter anything because it shouldn’t.”
Resch Relentless Basketball Love
Resch grew up as a military kid. He moved around a lot and never had many friends for a long period of time. Then he began getting involved with sports by becoming a manager for his college basketball team (Baylor). He jumped around from there; however, the point is he could never quit or let go of basketball. Although he never played it at a high level.
Resch admitted struggling to move on from the team atmosphere. Upon my return to the team environment during the Big 12 tournament that year, it felt like being with family and provided a sense of fulfillment that I had missed while being away.
