Glenn Burke’s promising Major League Baseball career was cut short in 1980 by antigay ridicule and harassment from legendary figures in the game. He died in 1995 in San Francisco, after a stint of homelessness, of complications from AIDS.
Giving new meaning to the phrase “too little, too late,” MLB is finally getting round to honoring Burke and taking baby steps in addressing the shameful fact that of nearly 1,000 active players, not a single one feels comfortable being openly gay. Homophobia’s stranglehold on the game remains so strong that to this day Burke and Billy Bean are still the only former players to acknowledge their homosexuality. Soccer (Robbie Rogers), basketball (Jason Collins), and football (Michael Sam) have all begun to make strides.
At Tuesday’s All-Star Game in Minneapolis, MLB will host Burke’s family as honored guests, the first recognition of the role baseball had in a young gay man’s demise, according to The New York Times.
Baseball has hired Bean, who played from 1987 to 1995, to help create a more level playing field for players. MLB has also pledged support for Athlete Ally, an organization that advocates for inclusion through prominent straight and gay athletes.
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Burke’s story is a modern day tragedy. Once projected as a five-tool player in the mold of the great Willie Mays, Burke never had an opportunity to excel as an everyday player. Two prominent managers, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tommy Lasorda and the Oakland A’s Billy Martin, clashed with Burke over his increasing unwillingness to stay in the closet, and both directed slurs at him in front of his teammates. The Dodgers traded Burke to the A’s after Burke dared to befriend Lasorda’s son, Tommy Lasorda Jr., who also died of complications from AIDS. When he could no longer deal with Martin’s abuse, and suffering from an injury, Burke quit the game he loved and moved across the bay to San Francisco’s Castro, where he could be himself. He played gay softball and hung out with the boys in the bar until his life began to unravel.
Burke’s story lives on, however. A 2013 documentary, Out: The Glenn Burke Story, immortalized his struggle. The charismatic athlete is also widely credited with inventing the high five, which associates him forever with the kind of celebration he himself was denied.
DarkZephyr
This will enrage conservative fans of baseball. Good.
AJAnders
I’ve read dozens of articles about Burke and I was struck over his teammates feelings towards him. In this day and age when many athletes are angrily pointing out how they can’t stand the thought of sharing a lcokerroom and shower with a gay teammate, Burke’s teammates all knew in 1978 that he was gay. And when he got traded to the A’s, several of them cried.
I’d still love to see that documentary if I could ever find it. Not just for the Burke story but to get the dirt on Tommy Lasorda, who REALLY seemed to have issues.
Alan in IL
You can also check out his own book, “Out at Home: the Glenn Burke Story”, by Glenn Burke with Erik Sherman, published the year he died.
Thad1527
I’m glad Glenn Burke is being remembered.
Alan in IL, thanks for the book commendation. I’ve read both Billy Bean’s book, “Going the Other Way,” and Dave Pallone’s “Behind the Mask,” his story of being a gay MLB umpire.