Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Movie looks at late gay baseball player
by Ross Forman
2010-11-03

This article shared 5709 times since Wed Nov 3, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Glenn Burke played 225 games over parts of four seasons in Major League Baseball, and even appeared in the 1977 World Series for the Los Angeles Dodgers. An outfielder who also played for the Oakland A's, Burke had two career home runs.

But he certainly left a legacy off the field.

Burke was the first and only major leaguer known to have been out to his teammates and team owners during his career. He is one of two known gays to have ever played in the majors; the other was Billy Bean.

Burke died from AIDS-related causes in 1995 at age 42.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has produced a one-hour documentary, "Out. The Glenn Burke Story," which will air commercial-free on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. PT.

Comcast delivers a home run.

"Out: The Glenn Burke Story" encompasses his roller-coaster life, from his exceptional, multi-sport career at Berkeley High School, through his brief run in the majors, his demons ( drugs, alcohol, and time in prison ) off the field, to his dying days.

Emotions are plenty; tears will flow.

" [ The documentary ] tells a story of a man who basically lived an uncompromising life and wasn't afraid to be who he was, and unfortunately he paid the consequences for it. It's a great story and gives us some lessons from when we don't accept people," said Ted Griggs, the vice president and general manager for Comcast SportsNet Bay Area who served as the documentary's executive producer.

The idea for the documentary came from Griggs, who has had a manila folder for years with his 1995 obituary.

"I've always wanted to tell his story," Griggs said. "I grew up in Hayward, near where [ Burke ] is from and I knew of him as a high school basketball player. I sort of followed his career because he was one of the guys from this area.

"I know then that someday, someone was going to do a great documentary or movie about his life."

Comcast delivered. "Out" tells the tumultuous story of the wedge that was driven between Burke and the Los Angeles Dodgers' management, the ensuing similar situation in Oakland that led to Burke's abrupt retirement and the hero's welcome he received in San Francisco's Castro District after he left baseball.

The documentary tells of his days in the San Francisco gay softball league, including his induction to the San Francisco Gay Softball Association Hall of Fame in 1992. And also that he participated in the Gay Games.

Burke officially came out in a 1982 Inside Sports magazine article and on The Today Show with Bryant Gumbel, though many inside baseball already knew or speculated about his sexual orientation.

"Glenn Burke is a great story anywhere, but definitely more meaningful in the Bay Area because he's one of our guys," Griggs said. "The social and political climate of the San Francisco Bay Area is different from other places in the U.S., and they probably will be more receptive to this story here [ than elsewhere ] , but I think it's a great story nonetheless."

Comcast started research for the documentary last May, and did interviews through the summer. Comcast spoke with childhood friends, coaches, newspaper reporters, front-office executives and former major leagues. Many former major leaguers, including Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson, former Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker, former Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday, as well as Reggie Smith, Claudell Washington, Davey Lopes, Mike Norris, and Billy Beane, among others.

Griggs said the toughest challenge was finding people who had intimate relations with Burke, or past partners of his. Unfortunately, most of them have passed away.

"What I took from some of the players, as I looked into their eyes, was them saying, 'You don't understand what it was like 33 years ago, the way people thought [ about gay people ] ," Griggs said. But, "When people get to know others, and appreciate them, any pre-judgment kind of goes away and they accept people as people. And to me, that was refreshing.

"The thing that I took out of [ the documentary ] more than anything else was that Glenn Burke was not afraid to be himself and he paid the consequences for that, yet, from the people we spoke to, he never felt sorry for himself."

Griggs said Comcast officials tried to contact former Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, who had a gay son, but did not get a response. "Most everyone else [ we wanted, ] we got," Griggs said.

No one rejected the interview request.

After the documentary airs in the Bay Area, it will be offered to other egional Comcast stations; however, there are licensing issues regarding some of the documentaries' footage, so it might not be available anywhere but in the Bay Area.

For more information on the Glenn Burke documentary, go to: www.CSNBayArea.com/pages/out.


This article shared 5709 times since Wed Nov 3, 2010
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community 2024-03-26
- LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated 2024-03-24
- Chicago Red Stars stay undefeated On March 23, the Chicago Red Stars took down the Seattle Reign FC 2-1 in the club's home opener at SeatGeek Stadium. With the win, the Red Stars are now 2-0-0 ...


Gay News

ACTIVITIES Pickleball, fine eats and fun are all at SPF 2024-03-21
- Despite the fact that it was invented in 1965, pickleball has only really entered the national consciousness within the last few years. However, there really hadn't been a large indoor dedicated space in Chicago for the ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set 2024-03-20
- The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Alyssa Naeher wins National Women's Soccer League Impact Save of the Week 2024-03-20
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 20, 2024) — Chicago Red Stars goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher earned National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Deloitte Impact Save of the Week honors, the league announced today. Seven minutes into the eight minutes of added ...


Gay News

Red Stars start season with 2-0 win 2024-03-17
- On March 16, the Chicago Red Stars kicked off their 2024 campaign with a 2-0 road win over Utah Royals FC in the Royals' inaugural match back in the National Women's Soccer League. Ally Schlegel and ...


Gay News

College athletes sue NCAA over transgender policies 2024-03-15
- Former Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines was among a group of college athletes who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA on March 14, accusing it of violating their Title IX rights by allowing trans swimmer Lia Thomas ...


Gay News

SPORTS Red Stars prepare to kick off NWSL season against Utah Royals 2024-03-15
- It's been a busy winter for the Red Stars, and it's time to put their work to the test. Following a last place finish in the 2023 NWSL season, Chicago has had an active offseason transforming ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release 2024 roster 2024-03-13
- CHICAGO (March 13, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced today their final roster ahead of the 2024 National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) season. The club's roster is bolstered by an array of experience brought not ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars release midfielder Jill Aguilera 2024-03-12
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 11, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars today announced the release of midfielder, Jill Aguilera. "I want to thank Jill for her time with the Red Stars," said general manager, Richard Feuz. "Over her ...


Gay News

Trans golfer banned from competing 2024-03-08
- Transgender golfer Hailey Davidson spoke out on Instagram after the NXXT Women's Pro Tour suddenly announced on March 8 (International Women's Day) that participants must be "a biological female at birth" in order to compete—banning D ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO (March 6, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars announced the signing of draftee and midfielder Leilanni Nesbeth. Nesbeth, Chicago's first-round and tenth overall draft pick in the 2024 National ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars announce partnership with Wintrust 2024-02-27
Press release - CHICAGO (Feb. 27, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars and Wintrust Financial Corporation announced a partnership that will see Wintrust become the club's new front-of-jersey partner and community outreach investment ...


Gay News

Chicago Bears hire first woman assistant coach 2024-02-21
- The Chicago Bears are hiring Jennifer King as an offensive assistant, according to The Chicago Sun-Times and other media outlets. She will be an assistant running backs coach. King—who will become the first female assistant coach ...


Gay News

Brittney Griner's jersey retired at Baylor University 2024-02-20
- On Feb. 18, Baylor University retired Brittney Griner's #42 jersey. Griner—a two-time AP national player of the year, two-time Olympic gold medalist and the NCAA women's career blocks leader (with 748)—attended a Bears home game ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.