The Tragic Tale Of Glenn Burke On His Birthday

"They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man & I made it,"
Glenn Burke

In 1970, Byron Burke helped lead his Oakland high school basketball team to an undefeated season, a state championship, & all-tournament honors. He was a great all-around athlete who reportedly ran the 100 yard dash in 9.7 seconds & was also an outstanding baseball player.


It was his baseball skills that caught the eye of the Los Angeles Dodgers. One coach labeled Burke as "the next Willie Mays."  Besides being a great baseball prospect, Burke also was gay, a gay man in professional sports, in the USA, in the 1970s.


Burke made his debut with the Dodgers in 1976. Early in his career, Burke felt he had to hide his sexuality from his teammates. When he began to reveal bits of his gaynes, it naturally drew the disapproval of baseball establishment.


Ironically, the very team that courageously challenged baseball's status quo of racism in 1947 as it stood behind Jackie Robinson, did not make the same stand when it came to Burke's gayness.


In an attempt to cover up his homosexuality, the Dodgers' management offered Burke $75,000 if he agreed to get married, to which Burke slyly responded: "You mean to a woman?"


Not only did Burke refuse to participate in any closet charade, he began an affair with homophobic Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda's estranged gay son. Lasorda would introduce Burke as:The Faggot.


Burke was traded to the Oakland A's before the 1979 season. Though back at home, things in Oakland didn't improve much for Burke. He refused to live the lie.


By the end of the 1979 season, Burke was no longer in baseball.


Many of Burke's teammates & managment were aware of his homosexuality during his playing career, & that his sexuality & the reaction that it provoked, led to the early end of his baseball career.


Burke’s honesty & courage ran ahead of society’s There's no way Burke's story, circa 1979, could end any way other than it did, a promising career ending before it truly began.


It wasn't enough for Burke to be a Major League Baseball player, if it meant compromising who he was. With the Dodgers, Burke possessed a very nontraditional attitude while playing for one of the most corporate sports franchises at the time. But, it wasn't just the Dodgers; homophobia continues to be the norm in Major League Baseball, & attitudes were consistent, & in most cases intensified, in locker room.


Burke's wanted to be a professional athlete & an openly gay man, but the conflicting emotions too much, despite Burke's enormous personality & athletic prowess.


After his premature retirement from baseball, Burke found solace & acceptance in San Francisco's Castro district. In the Castro, Burke was a celebrity acknowledged for his athletic ability & his gay identity, which for a while, seemed to be what Burke needed. he continued in sports after retiring from baseball. He competed in the 1986 Gay Games in basketball, & won medals in the 100 & 220 meter sprints in the first Gay Games in 1982. His jersey number at Berkeley High School was retired in his honor.Burke came out in a 1982 article published by Inside Sports magazine.

Burke turned to drugs to fill the void in his life when his career ended. An addiction to cocaine destroyed him both physically & financially. In 1987 his leg & foot were crushed when he was hit by a car in San Francisco. After the accident his life went into decline. He was arrested & jailed for drugs & for a time was homeless man living on the streets in the same Castro neighborhood that once celebrated him. He died of AIDS complications at age 42.


The tragic story of Burke is a tragedy faced by many gay people- unfulfilled dreams. Itseems even more so for Burke; his dreams were in sight. Burke was not the first gay athlete in professional sports. He was the first who was unwilling to compromise. I wonder if Burke gave much thought to the price his courage would demand of his life. Burke would have been 58 today.


Out: The Glenn Burke Story, is a new documentary produced by Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, it tells the tragic story of Burke's legacy as the first openly gay Major League Baseball player. Look for it on the Evil Comcast this month.