Talking with Windy City Times recently, Chicago Fire FC Vice President, Matchday Operations and Guest Experience Joey Colby-Begovich—a member of the LGBTQ+ community—could not hide his enthusiasm about the team’s Pride Night, taking place Wed., July 25.
However, he was equally passionate when the conversation turned about his personal thoughts about issues such as queer representation and family. (Colby-Begovich and his husband are fathers of two children.)
Note: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: So what’s actually going to happen during Pride Night?
Joey Colby-Begovich: So—a couple things: …Our players are going to be wearing the annual MLS [Major League Soccer] warm-up jerseys—and the other team, Philadelphia, will be wearing them as well. It’s part of the league’s initiative about awareness of the LGBTQ community. We will be selling those as well, but we won’t profit from them; the proceeds go to the league’s support of various LGBTQ+ charities.
For our actual match, this year’s celebration is really about fun. We have some entertainment that we’re really excited about. The Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles will be performing in our south courtyard; when guests come in through the gate, they’ll enjoy that music.
We’ll also have local community partners that will have activations; I think the one we’re most excited about is the Chicago chapter of PFLAG. We have switched out all of our Chicago Fire flags on the field to Pride-themed flags. In addition, we have The Divas Band performing the national anthem. And we have members of our supporters’ groups—featured in a Pride campaign that we’ve been pushing online—who will be delivering the game axe to local queer artist Paul Octavious. He will break the glass and sound the alarm.
And what I’m most excited about is that, post-match, there will be a five-minute Pride-themed fireworks show. We decided to allocate the Fourth of July fireworks money to Pride Night, and our DJ has put together a fun soundtrack that’s a little campy—everything from “I’m Coming Out” to “Born This Way.” There’ll be six firing locations from the field and 14 from the rooftop.
WCT: But no “Y.M.C.A.,” right?
JC-B: Right! The show is campy but not controversial. [Laughs]
WCT: And all the sponsors are the same? Some Pride events have suffered from a lack of sponsors this year.
JC-B: There are no presenting sponsors this year, but we have all the [regular] sponsors that our team normally has. For example, Carvana, Lou Malnati’s and others will be activating in the stadium.
WCT: When the current president was elected, were you personally concerned how Pride Night would go this year?
JC-B: No. I know the current presidential administration is trying to make Pride, trans rights and other [related issues] all political. For me, personally, these aren’t political issues—these are human-rights issues. Pride is a celebration and an opportunity for us to show continued support for a community that supports us; it’s a mutually beneficial partnership. Our most ardent fans are our supporter groups, and they’re all involved in civil-rights issues. And other sports leagues—the NFL and MLB—are brands established in mostly large cities, and it would be rude to not celebrate the community.
In fact, Sunday [June 29], we will be participating in the Chicago Pride Parade. We have a delegation consisting of staff, some of our supporter groups and ambassadors, our mascot. We’ll have a big Chicago Fire merch truck that will be there. My husband and I, along with our daughters, will be marching and representing the teams. We continue to support regardless of what’s happening [politically].
Also, for the first time, we are releasing profiles on LGBTQ+ employees on our LinkedIn page. It’s not a recruitment tool but it shows that the Chicago Fire is a safe place for everyone.
WCT: What does queer representation mean to you?
JC-B: There are a lot of ways I could answer this. For me, personally, what it means is showing up—and to be seen. It’s about being unapologetically authentic. That’s how I try to live my life.
The reason that I’m so public with my life is that when I grew up, I never knew anybody who was gay and married, in a long-term monogamous relationship, was VP of a sports team—none of these things existed for me.
So, representation is about showing up authentically for my community, in my workplace and for my family so that somebody somewhere—maybe a little Joey Colby-Begovich—can say, “Oh, that person is just fine living their life and having human experiences full of ups and downs. But something they can’t control about them doesn’t affect their way to move forward and contribute positively.” Twenty years ago, I would’ve been timid about these things but now I’m in a position of leadership.
WCT: If you could add your own themed night for MLS, what would it be?
JC-B: This is going to sound so selfish, but I would choose no themed night. My team works so hard to activate these things that they need a break. [Laughs]
But I’m going to rephrase your question for me. I think with all professional men’s teams, the one part of the mountain we have not overcome yet is the ability to create safe spaces so that players can be comfortable being their authentic selves. It’s in every major men’s league in America; men have to shelter themselves until after they’re done playing. We’ve had trailblazers like Carl Nassib in the NFL, and trailblazers on the business side.
The actual player element is still a cross to bear. There are still men in our league and other leagues who are still holding on to their secrets so they can do something they love. We need to have safe spaces so athletes can be winners on the field and people who live their lives authentically off the field.
More information and tickets for the Chicago Fire FC’s Pride Night are at this link.