As I happen to do on occasion, today I am moving away from political news to turn to another of my passions, baseball, but also to a social issue, homophobia.
Last Friday evening, the Los Angeles Dodgers honored the memory of one of their former players, Glenn Burke. His name is not familiar to you? It must be said that his time with the Dodgers and in major league baseball (1976-1979) was short-lived. You did not know that it is to him that we owe the famous high five? There is more and, above all, more important.
A broken career
Why honor the memory of an athlete who only played four seasons at the highest level, including two with the Oakland A’s? To try to make amends. More gifted than average, sure of his talent and extroverted, Glenn Burke was gay. He is the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to have openly assumed his orientation with his teammates and management.
To date, only two players have openly come out as gay. The second is current Major League Baseball Inclusion Ambassador Billy Bean.
Despite obvious athleticism and the support of his teammates, Glenn Burke was kicked out of Los Angeles after declining an offer of $75,000 from the general manager to marry a woman.
Burke also had time to bond with the manager’s gay son Tommy Lasorda. The latter, who has always denied his son’s sexual orientation, wanted us to part with Burke’s services.
Traded for a less talented player, Glenn Burke had little better luck in Oakland. It’s hard to deny the homophobia of manager Billy Martin, who introduces him to the rest of the team: “Here’s Glenn Burke, he’s a fag.”
Martin will not be long in using the pretext of an injury to relegate his player to the school club, where he will be left hanging around before terminating his contract.
Raising awareness again and again
I am addressing the subject today because the problem of homophobia is still very present. Despite great initiatives, professional sports teams still seem to be a hostile environment.
If you believe that things have changed in society since the late 1970s, you are not completely wrong, but a recent study by the Pew Research Center reminds us that in a handful of American states, it is believed that homosexuality should not be accepted.
For our part, a study carried out in 2020 highlights the fate reserved for sportsmen and women who have mentioned their sexual orientation to their teammates or teammates. The problem is such that many young people would prefer not to practice sports.
While we sometimes like to think of ourselves as more progressive, respectful and inclusive than our neighbours, it seems that’s not always the case.
