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MLB Launches Billy Bean Fellowship to Attract LGBTQ+ Talent to Baseball Front Offices
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Major League Baseball is taking a significant step toward diversifying its front offices with the launch of the Billy Bean Fellowship, an 18-month program that provides early-career professionals—including those who identify as LGBTQ+—with hands-on experience in baseball operations at MLB clubs or the league office. The initiative, named for the late Billy Bean, aims to address historic underrepresentation in baseball’s executive ranks and signals MLB’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive environment for marginalized communities, particularly LGBTQ+ individuals.
The fellowship is open to recent college graduates and early-career professionals from all backgrounds, but MLB has made clear that it hopes to attract LGBTQ+ applicants as part of its broader diversity and inclusion strategy. The program is part of a suite of MLB fellowships, but the Billy Bean Fellowship is unique in its explicit outreach to LGBTQ+ candidates and its focus on baseball operations—the heart of team decision-making.
Billy Bean, who passed away in 2024 after a battle with leukemia, was a trailblazer both on and off the field. After a six-year MLB career, Bean became the second player in league history to publicly come out as gay, doing so in a 1999 interview with the Miami Herald. Following his playing days, Bean returned to the league as a special adviser to the commissioner and later served as MLB’s senior vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion for a decade. In these roles, he was instrumental in developing MLB’s bullying prevention education programming, supporting Spirit Day, and elevating the visibility of mental wellness resources for players and staff.
Bean’s advocacy extended beyond policy: he was a visible symbol of LGBTQ+ inclusion in a sport that has historically struggled with acceptance. His work helped lay the groundwork for MLB’s current diversity initiatives, and the fellowship bearing his name is a direct extension of that legacy
The Billy Bean Fellowship offers participants an intensive, 18-month immersion in baseball operations, which can include roles in Major League operations, research and development, analytics, player development, and software engineering. Fellows are placed either with one of the 30 MLB clubs or at the league office, gaining real-world experience and access to professional development sessions, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
Applicants are encouraged to submit a resume and a personal statement detailing their story and how the fellowship aligns with their career aspirations. The program is open to all, but MLB has emphasized its desire to reach candidates from groups traditionally underrepresented in baseball operations, including LGBTQ+ individuals, military veterans, and former professional players.
The launch of the Billy Bean Fellowship comes at a time when professional sports leagues are under increasing pressure to improve diversity at all levels, especially in leadership and decision-making roles. While LGBTQ+ athletes have become more visible in recent years—particularly in women’s sports—men’s professional leagues like MLB have seen fewer openly LGBTQ+ players and even fewer executives.
A 2021 report by Outsports and the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport found that LGBTQ+ representation in MLB front offices was virtually nonexistent. The Billy Bean Fellowship is a direct response to this gap, offering a structured pathway for LGBTQ+ professionals to enter and advance in baseball operations.
The Billy Bean Fellowship is one of several MLB initiatives aimed at increasing diversity. The league also offers the MLB on Deck Sales Program, the MLB Digital Content Fellowship, and the MLB Voices Fellowship Program, each targeting different aspects of the baseball industry and different underrepresented groups. However, the Billy Bean Fellowship is unique in its focus on baseball operations and its explicit outreach to LGBTQ+ candidates.
In addition to the fellowship, MLB and individual clubs have supported LGBTQ+ inclusion through events like Pride Nights, partnerships with LGBTQ+ organizations, and educational programs. The Tampa Bay Rays, for example, established the Billy Bean Scholarship for LGBTQ+ high school seniors and allies in Florida, further extending Bean’s impact into the next generation.
LGBTQ+ advocates within and outside of baseball have welcomed the Billy Bean Fellowship as a meaningful step forward. “This isn’t just about symbolism—it’s about creating real opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to have a seat at the table where decisions are made,” said a representative from a national LGBTQ+ sports advocacy group, who asked not to be named in this article. “Billy Bean spent his post-playing career fighting for inclusion, and this fellowship ensures that his work continues.”
Some advocates note, however, that true progress will require more than fellowships. “It’s important that MLB follows through with hiring and promoting LGBTQ+ professionals into permanent, influential roles,” the representative added. “Fellowships are a start, but the real test is what happens after the program ends.”
The application deadline for the Billy Bean Fellowship is November 3, 2025, with selections expected to be announced in early 2026. The program’s success will be measured not only by the number of LGBTQ+ applicants and fellows, but by their long-term career trajectories within MLB.
As the sports world continues to grapple with issues of inclusion and representation, the Billy Bean Fellowship stands as a testament to the power of intentional outreach and the enduring legacy of those who pave the way for others. For LGBTQ+ professionals passionate about baseball, the fellowship represents a rare and valuable opportunity to help shape the future of the game—and to ensure that MLB’s front offices reflect the diversity of its fans and players.
