Brendan Burke

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Brendan Burke
Burke standing next to the Stanley Cup.
Burke in 2007, standing next to the Stanley Cup after it was won by the Anaheim Ducks, managed by his father Brian Burke
Born(1988-12-08)December 8, 1988
DiedFebruary 5, 2010(2010-02-05) (aged 21)
Economy, Indiana, United States
Alma materXaverian Brothers High School
Miami University
Occupation(s)Hockey management
Hockey goalie
EmployerMiami University
Known forLGBT 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

Boston, Massachusetts.[7] During high school, Burke played hockey as a goaltender on the varsity team,[7] but quit because he worried that his teammates would discover that he was gay.[8] Instead, he told his family that he wanted to quit rather than spend the season on the bench.[9] He graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts.[7]

After high school, Burke could not decide between going to law school (after completing college), or a career in hockey management.

sophomore year.[9] He interned on Capitol Hill in the summer of 2009 for U.S. Representative Bill Delahunt,[2] and became a student manager at Miami University,[8] responsible for recruiting correspondences, reviewing game film, working with coaches, and analyzing players.[9] During this time, he attempted to decide between a career in politics or hockey management, eventually deciding on the latter.[5][10]

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.

NCAA men's hockey championship in 2009.[7] Burke was concerned that the news story on his sexual orientation might be distracting to the team, and approached Blasi, offering to walk away from the story if Blasi disapproved.[10] With full veto power on the story, Blasi gave it his full support.[10] His team was also accepting of his sexuality.[8]

Burke's public coming out was met with wide support from the press and fans,

Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) began using Burke's coming-out story as a teaching tool, stating that the story could "change so many families across Canada, particularly because so many young boys are expected to grow up playing with a hockey stick and make their dads happy."[17] His coming-out story gained further attention from a large variety of news outlets in the days that followed.[13] Interest in Brendan's story was attributed to both his relation to his father and "hockey's sometimes homophobic culture."[13]

Brendan Burke became well known in hockey circles following his public coming out.

NBA star John Amaechi's 2007 coming out as an example of strong anti-gay attitudes in the NBA and larger sports world.[20]

Death and legacy

On February 5, 2011, the one-year anniversary of Burke's death, Brian Burke and his family are presented with special hockey sweaters in commemoration of Brendan Burke, which the RedHawks wore during their game that evening.

Burke died February 5, 2010, at the age of 21 in an

automobile accident.[1][2][11][21] While he was driving in heavy snow near Economy, Indiana,[21] his 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee slid sideways into the path of an oncoming 1997 Ford F-150 truck, killing him and his friend, Mark Reedy, a Michigan State University athlete, who was in the passenger seat.[1][2][9][21][22] The impact of the collision fractured the base of Burke's skull, killing him instantly.[9] The vehicle was mangled to such an extent that police officers and paramedics could not tell that Reedy was inside the vehicle, dead as well.[9]

A

Lake Superior State on February 6, 2010. The team also named him honorary first star of the game.[25] The St. Louis Blues also held a moment of silence for Brendan Burke prior to their game against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 21, 2010.[14]

The funeral was held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic church in

the fifth estate aired "The Legacy of Brendan Burke", a documentary detailing Burke's story and the discussion it generated about homophobia in hockey.[28]

During the

day with the Stanley Cup to display it in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade,[29] stating to the press that honoring Burke's legacy and his father's example of familial support and tolerance was one of his reasons for marching in the parade.[30] In recognition of the one-year anniversary of Burke's death, the Blackhawks wore special sweaters during their weekend game on February 5, 2011.[12]

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

Toronto Pride Parade, and working with former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, whose son is also openly gay, through PFLAG.[9][33] In March 2012, in tribute to Brendan, Patrick and Brian Burke founded the You Can Play campaign to fight homophobia in sports.[34]

References

  1. ^ 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]
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "'Brendan Burke Death Notice: Brendan Burke's Obituary'". The Boston Globe. February 7, 2009. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Cotsonika, Nicholas J. (February 4, 2011). "Brendan Burke's legacy as a hockey pioneer". Yahoo!. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Olson, Lisa Brian Burke: A Father's Love Story Archived January 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Olympics Fanhouse, February 15, 2010
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ a b c Pollak, David (February 6, 2010). "Sharks update: Tragic tale dampens Boyle's special trip". MercuryNews.com. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b c d McGran, Kevin (November 27, 2009). "'Brendan Burke: Support 'overwhelmingly positive". Toronto: TSN.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  14. ^ a b c "Leafs Win One for B.rian Burke". Toronto: TheGlobeandMail.com. February 6, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  15. ^ Blair, Jeff (February 6, 2010). "'True advocates like Brendan Burke are hard to come by'". Toronto: TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  16. ^ Mick, Hayley (December 30, 2010). "'Eight stories that rocked the fitness world'". Toronto: TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ Cox, Damien (November 25, 2009). "'Cox: A son's secret, Brian Burke's love'". TheStar.com. Toronto. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  19. ^ Cybulski, James (November 27, 2009). "'Cybulski: Burke news shows how far we still have to go'". TSN.ca. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  20. ^ 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’.
  21. ^ a b c "UPI News - Sports". UPI. Retrieved February 7, 2010.
  22. ^ "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]
  23. New Jersey On-Line. Associated Press
    . February 6, 2010.
  24. ^ MacKinnon, John (February 8, 2010). "'Both Burke men demonstrated courage'". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  25. Oxford, OH. Miami University. February 6, 2010. Archived from the original
    on February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
  26. ^ "Strong Ties Carry Redhawk Brotherhood After Brendan Burke's Death". Archived from the original on July 18, 2012.
  27. ^ "USA Hockey honours Brendan Burke". CBCsports.ca. April 7, 2010. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  28. ^ "The Legacy of Brendan Burke". CBC.ca. November 26, 2010. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved December 22, 2010.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "Stanley Cup, Blackhawks will march in Chicago's gay Pride Parade". Yahoo.com. June 22, 2010. Retrieved September 16, 2010.
  31. ^ "'Hockey world mourns Brendan Burke'". HockeyJournal.com. February 9, 2010. Archived from the original on July 12, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  32. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (February 5, 2011). "Gay hockey players celebrate legacy of late Brendan Burke". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  33. ^ Stevenson, Chris (February 4, 2011). "Burke's legacy opens door to gay players". Toronto Sun. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  34. ^ Allen, Kevin (March 4, 2012). "Anti-homophobia ad carries on Burke's legacy". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2012.