Brendan Burke
Brendan Burke | |
---|---|
Born | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | December 8, 1988
Died | February 5, 2010 | (aged 21)
Alma mater | Xaverian Brothers High School Miami University |
Occupation(s) | Hockey management Hockey goalie |
Employer | Miami University |
Known for | LGBT activism[1] |
Parent(s) | Brian Burke, Kerry G. Burke[2][3] |
Brendan Gilmore Burke (December 8, 1988 – February 5, 2010) was an athlete and student manager at Miami University for the RedHawks men's ice hockey team. The youngest son of Brian Burke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, longtime executive of various other NHL teams and of the US Olympic hockey team, in November 2009, he made international headlines for coming out, advocating for tolerance and speaking out against homophobia in professional sports. Burke's coming out was widely praised and supported by sports news outlets and fans, generating multiple discussions about homophobia in sports, and in hockey in particular. He was viewed as a pioneer in advocacy against homophobia in hockey, described as "the closest person to the NHL ever to come out publicly and say that he is gay."[4]
Burke was killed in a car crash on February 5, 2010. Following his death, Burke's memory and contribution to LGBT awareness in hockey was honoured by several hockey teams. The "Brendan Burke Internship" was later established in his honour by USA Hockey for his work in hockey management and a documentary entitled The Legacy of Brendan Burke aired on CBC Television in November 2010. Burke's death was the catalyst for the formation of the You Can Play project, a campaign to end homophobia in sports.
Early life
Brendan Gilmore Burke
After high school, Burke could not decide between going to law school (after completing college), or a career in hockey management.
Coming out and advocacy
Imagine if I was in the opposite situation, with a family that wouldn't accept me, working for a sports team where I knew I couldn't come out because I'd be fired or ostracized ... people in that situation deserve to know that they can feel safe, that sports isn't all homophobic and that there are plenty of people in sports who accept people for who they are.
— Brendan Burke, ESPN.com
Burke came out to his family during Christmas of 2007[9] and to his father, then-general manager of the Anaheim Ducks Brian Burke, after attending a Ducks game in Vancouver on December 10.[1][7][9] Brian as well as the rest of Burke's family were accepting of his sexuality.[1] However, Brendan's father and older brother Patrick, also a hockey manager, were concerned about how this might impact Brendan's career in hockey, noting homophobia in the hockey world in particular.[9] As an advocate, Burke returned yearly to his high school to give talks on his experience coming to terms with his sexuality in a largely homophobic sports culture and the positive personal impact of his father's support.[11]
In November 2009, Burke came out to one of his teammates, Pat Cannone, after he was asked about his love life.
Burke's public coming out was met with wide support from the press and fans,
Brendan Burke became well known in hockey circles following his public coming out.
Death and legacy
Burke died February 5, 2010, at the age of 21 in an
A
The funeral was held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic church in
During the
In the wake of Brendan's death, James Mirtle wrote in an article in The Globe and Mail published after Burke's death that he "was widely hailed as a pioneer in a sport that has never had an openly out athlete."[14] He was also described as "the closest person to the NHL ever to come out publicly and say that he is gay."[4] Assistant coach of the RedHawks Nick Petraglia attested to the commonplace use of gay slurs in hockey culture and stated that Burke's coming out impacted their program in addressing homophobia.[12] The New England Hockey Journal also wrote that Burke would be remembered as a pioneer for addressing the issue of homophobia in hockey.[31] Andrew Sobotka, president of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, attributed a doubling in the organization's membership to Burke's legacy and the Cup's appearance at the 2010 Gay Pride parade, describing the continued debate about gays in hockey as "everyone carrying his [Brendan Burke's] torch."[32]
Burke's older brother Patrick Burke announced in a column on
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Maple Leaf GM's 21-year-old son killed in car crash". National Post. February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 7, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f Algarin, Renee Nadeau (February 7, 2010). "'Fearless,' he changed hockey's view of homosexuality". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "'Brendan Burke Death Notice: Brendan Burke's Obituary'". The Boston Globe. February 7, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- ^ a b Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (February 4, 2011). "Brendan Burke's legacy as a hockey pioneer". Yahoo!. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ a b Justin Vaive (featured); Nick Petraglia (featured); Pat Cannone (featured); Enrico Blasi (featured); Cody Reichard (featured) (February 5, 2011). Brendan Burke Feature (Television production). Miami, Ohio: CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
- ^ Olson, Lisa Brian Burke: A Father's Love Story Archived January 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Olympics Fanhouse, February 15, 2010
- ^ a b c d e Buccigross, John (December 2, 2009). "'We love you, this won't change a thing'". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c Pollak, David (February 6, 2010). "Sharks update: Tragic tale dampens Boyle's special trip". MercuryNews.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Rogan, Mary (December 21, 2010). "Out on the Ice". GQ.com. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Never forgotten: Patrick Burke remembers his pioneering brother, Brendan". SunTimes.com. June 21, 2010. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Stickgold, Emma (February 8, 2010). "Brendan Burke, 21; raised awareness by coming out as young, gay athlete". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c d Starman, Dave (February 3, 2011). "A year after his death, Brendan Burke's legacy widens". uscho.com. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c d McGran, Kevin (November 27, 2009). "'Brendan Burke: Support 'overwhelmingly positive". Toronto: TSN.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c "Leafs Win One for B.rian Burke". Toronto: TheGlobeandMail.com. February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Blair, Jeff (February 6, 2010). "'True advocates like Brendan Burke are hard to come by'". Toronto: TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Mick, Hayley (December 30, 2010). "'Eight stories that rocked the fitness world'". Toronto: TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (February 8, 2010). "'Son of Leafs' GM Brian Burke remembered as "courageous and brave young man"'". The Canadian Press. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- ^ Cox, Damien (November 25, 2009). "'Cox: A son's secret, Brian Burke's love'". TheStar.com. Toronto. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Cybulski, James (November 27, 2009). "'Cybulski: Burke news shows how far we still have to go'". TSN.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Presenter: Darren Yourk (November 26, 2009). "Hockey Roundtable – "Is the NHL ready for an openly gay player?: The Hockey Roundtable on the courage of Brendan Burke, the Blackhawks' stellar play and Pascal Leclaire's lousy luck"". Hockey Roundtable Podcast. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 27:51 minutes in. ’GlobeSports.com’.
- ^ a b c "UPI News - Sports". UPI. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
- ^ "Bloomfield Hills native Mark Reedy and Brendan Burke, son of NHL general manager, die in car crash". TheOaklandPress. February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2010.[permanent dead link]
- New Jersey On-Line. Associated Press. February 6, 2010.
- ^ MacKinnon, John (February 8, 2010). "'Both Burke men demonstrated courage'". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- Oxford, OH. Miami University. February 6, 2010. Archived from the originalon February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ "Strong Ties Carry Redhawk Brotherhood After Brendan Burke's Death". Archived from the original on July 18, 2012.
- ^ "USA Hockey honours Brendan Burke". CBCsports.ca. April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ^ "The Legacy of Brendan Burke". CBC.ca. November 26, 2010. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
- ^ Litke, Jim (June 25, 2010). "Sports' most macho trophy shows new kind of pride". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
- ^ "Stanley Cup, Blackhawks will march in Chicago's gay Pride Parade". Yahoo.com. June 22, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
- ^ "'Hockey world mourns Brendan Burke'". HockeyJournal.com. February 9, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
- ^ Wyshynski, Greg (February 5, 2011). "Gay hockey players celebrate legacy of late Brendan Burke". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ Stevenson, Chris (February 4, 2011). "Burke's legacy opens door to gay players". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ Allen, Kevin (March 4, 2012). "Anti-homophobia ad carries on Burke's legacy". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2012.