The Super Bowl is set to have its first ever openly gay cameraman
Scott Winer is set to become the first openly gay Super Bowl cameraman (littlescottie/instagram)
The Super Bowl is set to be filmed by an openly gay cameraman for the first time on Sunday (February 3).
Scott Winer, 34, will be shooting the big game between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams for CBS Sports in his home state of Atlanta.
He told LGBT sports site Outsports that working at the climax of the American football season was a dream come true.
“I don’t think ever in my wildest dreams I would have ever imagined an opportunity to work a Super Bowl in my home city.”
— Scott Winer
“Doing a show like a Super Bowl is one of those things that in the back of your mind it’s what you work toward,” he said, “but there’s also that part of you that wonders if it’s ever going to happen because it seems like such a lofty goal.”
Super Bowl LIII is the culmination of a long journey for Scott Winer
Winer explained that growing up openly gay in Atlanta made it hard to imagine that he would one day achieve this aim—especially at his local Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
He said: “When I came out in high school, it was a difficult time for me personally.
“So I don’t think ever in my wildest dreams I would have ever imagined an opportunity to work a Super Bowl in my home city, under any circumstances.”
Scott Winer’s first paid sports gig was in sixth grade—now he’s set to film the Super Bowl (scott winer/linkedin)
The people he’s surrounded with nowadays are much more accepting, he said.
“I don’t think I ever could have imagined working in an environment where there is such love and support from people I work with, from such a range of ages and experience levels,” explained Winer.
“It really is surreal.”
Scott Winer will ensure visible LGBT+ representation at Super Bowl LIII
Winer said he enjoys visibly representing the LGBT+ community at games—he wears rainbow shoes and affixes a triangle rainbow sticker to his camera to get the message across.
Winer first worked as a sports cameraman as a pre-teen in sixth grade, and now films games in the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association.
He put his success down to the “very generous and talented people” who had helped develop his talents, and Winer’s director and mentor Bob Fishman returned the compliment.
“He listens and he understands what’s going on in the broadcast,” Fishman said.
“He is the most-prepared camera person on my crew. He shows up with charts. He knows the numbers, he knows the players in the important positions.”
