On June 1, the Chicago Fire will again mark Pride Night when it takes on the L.A. Galaxy at Soldier Field at 7:30 p.m. as the team celebrates diversity, inclusion and unity. Attendees will receive Pride X Chicago Fire FC scarves while the first 5,000 fans will receive Pride clear crossbody bags. In addition, MLS and Adidas have once again partnered to design this year’s Love Unites Pride Top, which performer Pabllo Vittar designed; Fire players will have the option of wearing the top during the match warm-ups.
As for match entertainment and activations, the Chicago Gay Man’s Chorus will sing the national anthem. Pride Night’s “Sounds of Chicagoland” artist will be musical duo DRAMA, who recently headlined the Las Vegas Pride Festival. There will also be a pre-match dance battle, presented by the Chicago Fire White Party, and the return of the halftime Lip Sync Battle.
During the match, Pride Night presenting sponsor Carvana will also recognize Chicago Fire Rec Soccer’s Play Proud League during a pre-match on-field ceremony. Carvana will present the Play Proud League with a $5,000 donation to help offer this inclusive space to more teams in the community. (Registration for Play Proud’s summer league will begin June 3.)
Windy City Times recently talked with Chicago Fire Vice President, Matchday Operations and Guest Experience Joey Colby-Begovich—himself a member of the LGBTQ+ community—about this celebratory night and more. However, the conversation started with a job Colby-Begovich had much earlier in his career.
NOTE: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: First of all, what was it like working for Carnival Cruise Line?
Joey Colby-Begovich: [Laughs] I inherently knew you were going to ask me about it. Everybody asks me about my experience in the cruise industry.
It was a really great time in my life. I started with the company when I was 22 years old and worked my way up. I spent 10 years at sea and that turned into a position in the corporate office, and that kick-started my professional land career. When I was young, I got to travel and I visited six out of seven continents. It was a great gig. I couldn’t do it now, at my age and being a father and husband. But back then, it was a blast.
The first half of my memoir will be dedicated to my life at sea. [Smiles]
WCT: And I bet you have a title picked out. You have quite a long title, by the way. It’s kind of obvious but you could tell me what you do, in a nutshell?
JC-B: So, my [department] basically is responsible for delivering the experience—everything that happens that surrounds the match day, that’s not the actual playing of soccer. So [those] are the parking, getting into the gates, all the activations around the concourse, the entertainment experience, the food and beverages, and the hospitality with different seatings, like suites. Also, we produce the different showings of the games, so that involves everything you see on the videoboard and the in-game entertainment.
And then there are the things that are not necessarily sexy or fun, like the branding and logistics.
WCT: I went to last year’s match, but tell me about this year’s Pride Night.
JC-B: I think it’s really exciting this year because Carvana—our new marquee sponsor who’s on the front of our kits—is our main sponsor for Pride. It’s really exciting because our values around celebrating and our achievements of the LGBTQIA+ community are really aligned with Carvana. We are opening, on behalf of Carvana, areas of the stadium that we don’t normally operate.
We’re going to have a full pre-match Pride tailgate party happening on the south lawn at Soldier Field; there’ll be games, inflatables and photo opportunities for kids. And there’ll be local entertainment in addition to other corporate and community partners that will be there. It’ll be a big celebration before we go into the game.
[Note: Hosted by DJ Nosike, the Carvana Pride Tailgate will feature activations including booths from Fire partners Carvana, Heineken, Buick GMC, Hyundai, Continental Tire and Hive2o, as well as pop-ups from local community organizations; a variety of tailgate and interactive inflatable games; and special performances from the Vogue School dance group, electronic violinist and DJ Tony Radzik, and musical artist Channelle Tru. Inside Soldier Field, there will be performances from DJ Janky, Khloe Daniels and female DJ duo Do Not Disturb, as well as activations from Fire partners Wintrust, Stoli Vodka, The Way Back Inn, People’s Gas and Meridian.]
WCT: As you know, this country is really fractured, politically. Was there any sort of hesitation about having Pride Night?
JC-B: Not from our end, Andrew. I can’t speak on behalf of the league, but the league itself has been very supportive—so much so that it has sent all teams a tool kit to encourage clubs to activate Pride celebrations.
This is me talking here, but when you read other things about other leagues, like the NHL, which required teams to have Pride games, warm-up jerseys and Pride tape, and then they pulled back on a lot of the things. The MLS is taking a different stance—that we’re an inclusive league. And although there might not be any out players in the league, [the league] is supporting teams with Pride-themed warm-up jerseys that will be on sale.
Jess Braveman [Chicago Fire senior manager, brand communications]: And to Joey’s point, it’s important to the league and all our clubs that we want our stadiums and facilities to be safe spaces. Soccer is the fastest-growing sport in this country and studies of fan bases show that we have the youngest and most diverse audiences. So it’s important for us that our matches allow this inclusive environment and that people are free from discrimination and harassment when they come to our spaces.
The league is making a donation to Athlete Ally, which supports out athletes, so the league is really trying to push it. Also to Joey’s point, there were issues with the NHL last year and that’s why the MLS is trying to be such a big ally.
WCT: I have to give the Chicago Blackhawks a little credit [as they continue to celebrate Pride Night].
JC-B: We’re also in Chicago, right? We’re the third-largest city in the U.S. Unity is active and our fans are a reflection of the local community, including the queer community, and we’re going to lean into that. Some of our most adamant fans in our supporter section are big allies of trans rights and gay rights. I’m pretty new to the club, but our team has never shied away from being a safe space and being welcoming to the community.
WCT: Why do you feel there are so few out players? I don’t know if there’s anyone who’s out in the MLS.
JB: Not at the moment, no. There were players in the past.
JC-B: Listen: This is my personal opinion, but if you go back 20 years ago in Hollywood, for example, it was unheard of to be out. You’d be blacklisted from getting big-name roles. I think sports would be the next domino to fall. We’ve seen it happen a little bit with Carl Nassib coming out in the NFL. [He came out before retiring.] It’s only a matter of time.
When you look at what’s happening in colleges and universities—in the athletic space—there’s no question that there are out athletes in every sport. It’s only a matter of time before that happens in the professional space—and we will be ready to show that the fans, teams and leagues are behind them. But it does take a full-force effort to establish that safety net because there are just nasty people out there.
WCT: So what’s the message the Fire wishes to send during Pride Night and Pride Month?
JC-B: It is that we are a club that is an ally of [the LGBTQ+] community and that is part of this community, and that we’ll continue to fight for this community.
Also, we’ll be participating in the Chicago Pride Parade. We’re so fortunate to have so many corporate partners who share these same values and visions. A new partner, Avocados from Peru, is actually sponsoring our participation in the parade.
[Note: A Fire spokesperson said in a statement, “Chicago Fire FC strives to be a leader in creating more access to soccer, and one of our core beliefs is that all are welcome, and our Club is open to everyone. As an organization, we want to ensure our matches, facilities, and programs create a safe space for our supporters, the LGBTQIA+ community, and allies. The Fire and Major League Soccer are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment, free of discrimination and harassment.
“In 2023, our Club launched the Play Proud League to serve as an inclusive and physically and psychologically safe space for LGBTQIA+ people, friends, and allies to compete and build community. Whether you’re a soccer enthusiast or have never kicked a ball, the Play Proud League is a place where everyone can be their authentic selves and enjoy the beautiful game.”]