Lesbian Named Part Owner of Cubs

In the sale of the Chicago Cubs franchise for $845 million last week, Major League Baseball gained its first openly gay team owner in Laura Ricketts, a member of the highest bidder's family.

Laura Ricketts and her three siblings, Pete, Tom, and Todd, will control the team as its board of directors. They will act alongside former owner Tribune Co., which will retain a 5% stake in the ball club. The acquisition includes the team, Wrigley Field, and 25% of Comcast Sportsnet, which broadcasts many of the Cubs games, according to the Associated Press.

Laura Ricketts, who is the CEO of Eco Travel LLC, is also on the board of gay rights organization Lambda Legal, the Windy City Times reports. She came out to her family in her 30s.

"I think for a long time I wasn't really out to myself growing up in Omaha, Neb., to a Catholic conservative family," Ricketts told MarketToMarketLLC.com. "It took me a while to come out to myself and not long after that I came out to them. I think that it really couldn't of been a better experience. They were all immediately supportive. ... I have been really really fortunate in that regard."