Black gay men who played baseball

He was a Black, gay professional baseball player. Glenn Lawrence Burke was born in Oakland, California. He was a high school basketball star, leading the Berkeley High School, California, Yellow Jackets to an undefeated season and the Northern California championships.

He could dunk a basketball with both hands, which is rare for anyone under 6 feet tall. After high school, he attended Merritt College. Burke was a highly scouted star in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system before being called to their major league club MLB. He played for the Dodgers from until On October 2,Burke ran onto the field to congratulate his Dodgers teammate Dusty Baker after Baker hit his 30th home run in the last game of the regular season.

Burke raised his hand over his head as Baker jogged home from third base. Not knowing what to do about the upraised hand, Baker slapped it. The high five is now widely universal. After retiring from baseball, Burke used the high five with other LGBTQ residents of the Castro district of San Francisco, black gay men who played baseball it became a symbol of gay pride and identification.

As a gay man, Burke's association with the Dodgers was complex. Burke refused to do so and is said to have responded: "To a woman? Lasorda has disputed that but says he does not understand Burke's behavior: "Why wouldn't he come out? Why keep that inside? Glenn had a lot of talent.

He could have been an outstanding basketball or baseball player. He sure was good in the clubhouse. What happened? I don't know what happened. He just wasn't happy here? The Dodgers eventually traded Burke to the Oakland Athletics for Billy North, claiming they needed an experienced player who could contribute immediately.

Burke received little playing time in the and seasons in Oakland. Some teammates avoided showering with Burke. Burke suffered a knee injury before the season began, and the Athletics sent him to the minors in Utah and then released him from his contract before the season ended.

In his four seasons and games in the majors playing for the Dodgers and Athletics, Burke had at-bats and batted. Burke said, "ByI think everybody knew," and he was "sure his teammates didn't care. But I wasn't changing". In his autobiography, Burke wrote that "prejudice just won out.

He told People magazine in that his "mission as a gay ballplayer was to break a stereotype" and that he thought "it worked. Burke continued his athletic endeavors after retiring from baseball.

Meet Glenn Burke, The Black Baseball Pioneer Who Invented The High-Five

He won medals in the and meter sprints in the first Gay Games in and competed in the Gay Games in basketball. His jersey number at Berkeley High School was retired in his honor. An article published in Inside Sports magazine in made Burke's homosexuality public.