Brendan Burke

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Brendan Burke
Brendan Burke standing next to the Stanley Cup.
Brendan Burke in 2007, standing next to the Stanley Cup after it was won by the Anaheim Ducks, managed by his father Brian Burke.
Born
Brendan Gilmore Burke

December 8, 1988[1]
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[2]
DiedFebruary 5, 2010(2010-02-05) (aged 21)[3]
Economy, Indiana, United States[4]
Alma materMiami University
Occupation(s)Hockey management
Hockey goalie
EmployerMiami University
Known forLGBT activism[5]
Parent(s)Brian Burke, Kerry G. Burke[3][6]

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 younger son of Brian Burke, general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs 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."

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 honored by several hockey teams. The "Brendan Burke Internship" was later established in his honor 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.

Early life

Brendan Gilmore Burke[7] was born on December 8, 1988, in Vancouver, British Columbia[1] and was the younger son and third of four children of his father's first marriage.[5] His parents divorced in 1995 and in 1997 he moved with his mother, Kerry to Boston, Massachusetts.[2] During high school, Burke played hockey as a goaltender on the varsity team,[2] 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 benched off the active roster.[9] He graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts.[2]

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.[2][5][9] Brian as well as the rest of Burke's family were accepting of his sexuality.[5] 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.[10]

In November 2009, Burke came out to one of his teammates, Pat Cannone, after he was asked about his love life.[11] He then came out to the rest of the Miami University hockey team, of which he was also the video coordinator and student manager, that he was gay.[11] The story was leaked to ESPN.com

[12] The news further launched Brendan into advocacy, speaking about homophobia in hockey and encouraging discussion on the challenges faced by gay athletes in hockey and mainstream sports in general.[13][14] In a later TSN interview, Burke stated that he hoped that telling his story would allow gay athletes and pro sports workers to know that there were supportive, safe environments for them and would encourage them to step forward as well.[10] Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) of Toronto, 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."[15] His coming out story gained further attention from a large variety of news outlets in the days that followed.[12] Interest in Brendan's story was attributed to both his relation to his father and "hockey's sometimes homophobic culture."[12]

Brendan Burke became well known in hockey circles following his public coming out.[10] Blasi described Burke's presence as a "blessing," creating awareness within the program about homophobia.[16] TSN sportscaster James Cybulski commented that the reaction to Burke's story, and that it was a major story in the first place, demonstrated the need for Burke and his whole family to stand tall as a major step forward for all minorities.[17] GlobeSports.com's podcast Hockey Roundtable featured a discussion between sports writers Eric Duhatschek and James Mirtle about the dialogue concerning openly gay athletes and high profile employees in major hockey franchises that resulted from Burke's interview about his struggles with hiding his sexuality and eventual coming out. Duhatschek commented that NHL players were reluctant to discuss the recent news and the subject in general, attributing it to a culture of machismo in professional sports. Assistant coach of the Phoenix Coyotes, David King, stated that he felt that like athletic sports' role in breaking down the racial barrier, sports would do the same for gay athletes, albeit stressing that he felt it "would take some time." Mirtle agreed, discussing the challenges of prejudice that closeted and out hockey athletes may face and highlighting NBA star John Amaechi's 2007 coming out as an example of strong anti-gay attitudes in the NBA and larger sports world.[18]

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.[3][4][5][10] While driving in heavy snow near Economy, Indiana,[4] his 2004 Jeep 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.[3][4][5][9][19] 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 moment of silence was observed prior to the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators game on February 6, 2010.[20][21] Another moment of silence was also observed prior to the Miami University hockey game vs. Lake Superior State on February 6, 2010. The team also named him honorary first star of the game.[22] The St. Louis Blues also held a moment of silence for Brendan Burke prior to their Saturday night game against the Chicago Blackhawks.[23]

The funeral was held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic church in Canton, Massachusetts, where his family lives,[3] with nearly 1,000 people, including the full roster of the Toronto Maple Leafs, in attendance.[9] In April 2010, USA Hockey established the "Brendan Burke Internship" in honor of his work in hockey, describing it as being given annually to a recent college graduate seeking to pursue a career in hockey operations.[24] On November 26, 2010, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television newsmagazine the fifth estate aired "The Legacy of Brendan Burke", a documentary detailing Burke's story and the discussion it generated about homophobia in hockey.[25]

During the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, the United States Men's Hockey Team wore dog tags inscribed with the words "In Memory of Brendan Burke".[9][26] In June 2010, Chicago Blackhawks president John McDonough announced that he would be sending the team's recently won Stanley Cup with defenseman Brent Sopel who would march in the 2010 Chicago Gay Pride Parade. Sopel began his NHL career with Vancouver and became friends with Brian Burke when he was the general manager there. Although he was traded to the Atlanta earlier in the week, Sopel honored Brendan Burke by using his day with the Stanley Cup to display it in the Chicago Gay Pride Parade,[27] 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.[28] In recognition of the one year anniversary of Burke's death, the RedHawks wore special sweaters during their weekend game on the February 5, 2011.[11]

In the wake of Brendan's death, 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."[23] He was also described as "the closest person to the NHL ever to come out publicly and say that he is gay.

ref name="PatrickBurke"/> Since Brendan's death, his father has continued advocating against homophobia in professional sports, giving speeches at schools, marching in the annual Toronto Pride Parade, and working with former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, whose son is also openly gay, through PFLAG.[9][29]

References

  1. ^ a b Olson, Lisa Brian Burke: A Father's Love Story Olympics Fanhouse, February 15, 2010
  2. ^ a b c d e Buccigross, John (2 December 2009). "'We love you, this won't change a thing'". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e Algarin, Renee Nadeau (7 February 2010). "'Fearless,' he changed hockey's view of homosexuality". Boston Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d "UPI News - Sports". UPI. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Maple Leaf GM's 21-year-old son killed in car crash". National Post. 6 February 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  6. ^ "'Brendan Burke Death Notice: Brendan Burke's Obituary'". The Boston Globe. 7 February 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  7. ^ Justin Vaive (featured); Nick Petraglia (featured); Pat Cannone (featured); Enrico Blasi (featured); Cody Reichard (featured) (5 February 2011). Brendan Burke Feature (Television production). Miami, Ohio: CBSSports.com. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  8. ^ Pollak, David (6 February 2010). "Sharks update: Tragic tale dampens Boyle's special trip". MercuryNews.com. Retrieved 7 February 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rogan, Mary (21 December 2010). "Out on the Ice". GQ.com. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d Stickgold, Emma (8 February 2010). "Brendan Burke, 21; raised awareness by coming out as young, gay athlete". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  11. ^ a b c Starman, Dave (February 3, 2011). "A year after his death, Brendan Burke's legacy widens". uscho.com. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  12. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference TheStarsupport was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Blair, Jeff (6 February 2010). "'True advocates like Brendan Burke are hard to come by'". TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  14. ^ Mick, Hayley (30 December 2010). "'Eight stories that rocked the fitness world'". TheGlobeandMail.com. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  15. ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (8 February 2010). "'Son of Leafs' GM Brian Burke remembered as "courageous and brave young man"'". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  16. ^ Cox, Damien (25 November 2009). "'Cox: A son's secret, Brian Burke's love'". Toronto: TheStar.com. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  17. ^ Cybulski, James (27 November 2009). "'Cybulski: Burke news shows how far we still have to go'". TSN.ca. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  18. ^ Presenter: Darren Yourk (2009-11-26). "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. 27:51 minutes in. ’GlobeSports.com’. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ News - Sports "Bloomfield Hills native Mark Reedy and Brendan Burke, son of NHL general manager, die in car crash". TheOaklandPress. 6 February 2010. Retrieved 6 February 2010. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  20. ^ "Son of Toronto Maple Leafs, U.S. men's hockey GM Brian Burke killed in car accident". The Star-Ledger. Toronto: New Jersey On-Line. Associated Press. February 6, 2010.
  21. ^ MacKinnon, John (8 February 2010). "'Both Burke men demonstrated courage'". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 9 February 2010. [dead link]
  22. ^ "Miami vs. Lake Superior State Post Game Notes". Oxford, OH. Miami University. February 6, 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  23. ^ a b "Leafs Win One for Brian Burke". TheGlobeandMail.com. February 6, 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  24. ^ "USA Hockey honours Brendan Burke". CBCsports.ca. April 7, 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  25. ^ "The Legacy of Brendan Burke". CBC.ca. November 26, 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  26. ^ "Never forgotten: Patrick Burke remembers his pioneering brother, Brendan". SunTimes.com. June 21, 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  27. ^ "Sports' most macho trophy shows new kind of pride". ChicagoTribune.com. June 25, 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  28. ^ "Stanley Cup, Blackhawks will march in Chicago's gay Pride Parade". Yahoo.com. June 22, 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  29. ^ Stevenson, Chris (February 4, 2011). "Burke's legacy opens door to gay players". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 4 February 2011.

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