Glenn Burke

The victories are a great tribute to those men and women who have come forth, but just as in sport itself, the victories can only be accomplished through the agony of defeat. This is the story of one baseball player's bravery that ended sadly on the streets of San Francisco. This is the story of Glenn Burke.

You may not know Glenn Burke by name, but you do know the legacy that he has left on the world of sport. He was credited with inventing the "high five" in 1977 when he ran out onto the field to congratulate his Los Angeles Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker for hitting a home run in the last game of the regular season. The second recorded "high five" came moments later when Baker returned the favor in celebration of Burke's first major league home run. The high five is now a staple of congratulations in every venue of sport, and fans and athletes have emulated the signature move since its inception.

Shortly after his birth on November 16, 1952, in Oakland, California, Glenn Burke's father left his family leaving his mother to raise eight children alone on a nursing-home aide's salary. Glenn, however, became a star athlete at Berkeley High School excelling at both basketball and baseball, and he was given a scholarship to the University of Denver, but eventually returned home.

After his return, Burke joined the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system where he excelled with a batting average well over .300. The major leagues took notice, and eventually he was called up to the major league club. When he started his baseball career, many of the scouts described him as the next Willie Mays, and Burke met this challenge batting exceptionally throughout his career.

Once he joined the major leagues, Burke began to face his first bought of homophobia when he befriended Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda's estranged gay son, Tommy Lasorda, Jr. This proved to be a devastating blow to his career because the Dodgers wanted to keep Burke in the closet. According to his autobiography, Out at Home, the Los Angeles Dodgers even offered to pay for a lavish honeymoon if Burke agreed to have a "marriage of convenience" to conceal his homosexuality. Burke refused to participate in the sham, and his troubles with the team continued.

The Dodgers eventually transferred him to the Oakland A's, but while the team was different, the problems were the same. He was to start spring training with Oakland in 1980. Billy Martin, the newly hired Manager of the Athletics, made public statements about not wanting a gay man in his clubhouse. When Burke injured his knee before the season began, the A's used his injury as a reason to send him back to the minors in Utah. This move was the last straw for Burke who decide to retire from baseball altogether in 1980 at the age of 26.

Two years later Burke's homosexuality became public knowledge in an article published by Inside Sports magazine where he admitted that he believed that he was let go from the Dodgers because he was gay. Burke continued his athletic endeavors after retiring from baseball. He competed in the 1986 Gay Games in basketball, and won medals in the 100 and 220-meter sprints in the first Gay Games in 1982, but his problems away from baseball began to mount against him.

Without support, Burke turned to drug use and eventually lost everything he had and became homeless. In 1994 Burke was diagnosed with AIDS and when news of his battle became public knowledge, he received the support of his former teammates and the Oakland Athletics organization, but it came too late. In interviews given while he was fighting AIDS, he expressed little in the way of grudges towards his former teams or teammates, and commented that his only regret was that he never had the opportunity to pursue a career in professional basketball.

Burke lived the last months of his life at his sister's home, and died from complications associated with AIDS on May 30, 1995, in San Leandro, California. Before his death a Philadelphia Inquirer interview, the headline of which noted him as "A Man Once Called 'King Kong' Now in Grip of Disease," described his last days: "His feet are swollen and covered with purple lesions and his teeth are small yellow triangles, worn down to nubs by relentless nocturnal nervousness. Formerly 220 pounds, he now weighs 150. Although his major league career never lived up to the promise he showed in the minor leagues, he has left his mark in another way." ìThey can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it," said Burke in the interview.

In his last public interview Burke told People magazine "My mission as a gay ballplayer was to break a stereotype... I think it worked."

Not every story has a happy ending, and not every story of coming out ends with support of those around you. The masculine world of baseball has all but been shielded from controversy because the sport is as American as apple pie. Acknowledging gay players in the great American pastime may just force society to stand up and recognize gay people in all aspects of life. In 1999 the second ex baseball player, Billy Bean, came out after retiring from the Major league, and was met with a great reception and support from the gay community. The strides that these athletes have made are great, and it is important to recognize those who have made them in order to make things better for the future.