Burke was the first MLB player to come out as gay to his teammates and ownership, something he did in the 1970s. For their ninth Pride Night, the Dodgers are acknowledging Burke's baseball legacy, something they have not done before.
After a four-year majors career that included appearances in a World Series game and multiple NLCS games, Burke was driven out of the sport by prejudiced leadership.
After being forced into retirement at age 27 due to his sexuality, the former outfielder turned to hard drugs and ended up homeless. He died of AIDS at 42 years old.
Burke played for the Oakland A's and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball. The Dodgers tried to bribe Burke into marrying a woman during his time in the league, but only one club has since honored his legacy and courage to come out as gay.
Burke was released from his contract by the A's after Billy Martin introduced him to his new team members with a gay slur and then sent him to the minor leagues. That was the end of the career of the outfielder who was described by a teammate as the life of the team.
After Burke was diagnosed with AIDS, the A's helped him out financially, invited his brother to throw out the first pitch at their Pride Night, and pledged Pride Night ticket profits to the Glenn Burke clinic.
These gestures don't make up for the homophobic and bigoted treatment he received from teammates, fans, and executives, but they are an attempt to right past wrongs.
The Dodgers need to acknowledge Burke's bravery and legacy. According to the L.A. Times, a search of his name on the Dodgers website turned up blank, and that the team only mentioned his name once in the social media era. They erased him from their memories. It has been this way until now.
Tonight, for the first time, the team for whom he played in a World Series game has invited his family to celebrate his life and legacy. It is disappointing that the Dodgers took so long to acknowledge Burke's courage and apologize for their treatment of him. It is a good thing that it is finally occurring. It's better than never.
According to the New York Times, many believed that the reason the Dodgers sent Burke to Oakland was because of his friendship with Tommy Lasorda's son, who was also gay.
Luthan Burke Davis told the New York Times, "Glenn probably would have said, 'Dang, about time!'" He would be grinning from head to toe. He would be very happy that he was thinking about that a lot.
In a sport where no active major league player has ever come out as gay, and only one former player besides Burke has, the honor of Burke's memory and life holds real significance.
The first openly gay player in a major team sport was in the NBA. Nassib was the first active NFL player to come out.
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