I would prefer Brendan hadn't decided to discuss this issue in this very public manner. There will be a great deal of reaction, and I fear a large portion will be negative. But this takes guts, and I admire Brendan greatly, and happily march arm in arm with him on this.
There are gay men in professional hockey. We would be fools to think otherwise. And it's sad that they feel the need to conceal this. I understand why they do so, however.
Can a gay man advance in professional hockey? He can if he works for the Toronto Maple Leafs! Or for Miami University Hockey. God bless Rico Blasi! And I am certain these two organizations are not alone here.
I wish this burden would fall on someone else's shoulders, not Brendan's. Pioneers are often misunderstood and mistrusted. But since he wishes to blaze this trail, I stand beside him with an axe! I simply could not be more proud of Brendan than I am, and I love him as much as I admire him.
2 months ago
James Mirtle
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I have mixed feelings as to my own reaction to this excellent article, even though I agree with Puck Daddy’s comment that the writing style is very “clunky”.
On one hand, as much as I dislike Brian Burke in a hockey sense, I’m glad to see this react from him. After all, I doubt many hockey fans would’ve pictured the man who keeps yammering on about truculence attending a gay pride parade with his out of the closet son.
However, it also makes me sad that I’m so glad to read that Brian Burke’s reaction to his son’s revelation is one of acceptance and love, that we all expect the worst from those within the sports world. In my opinion, acceptance and love should be standard and not something that needs to be feted in an article. Hopefully one day it will be common place for homosexuals in all facets of sport to be able to be open about who they are without it even being an issue.
In the meantime, I applaud Brian Burke, his son’s bravery and the nice article by John Buccigross.
by kevincrumbs on Nov 24, 2009 6:01 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
Pretty much my feelings exactly.
Also, what makes it sad is that not everyone reacts like Brian Burke, the rest of his family and his Miami U. hockey team. Hopefully that culture changes as well.
by Afino on Nov 25, 2009 7:19 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Brian Burke
What I respected about Brian Burke was his open opinions and the way he shared them. I disagreed with the architecture of his teams, but he knows more about how a team is put together than me and has proven it – I’m just a stupid fan. One thing is for sure, the story added the dimension of Brian Burke, but the true pioneer here is his son and his willingness to step up. Courage and guts? Absolutely.
It’s too bad that sports seems out of step than what society might be with these issues. Though, for every article I read about the acceptance of homosexuals, I read an article showing the rejection of who they are. Someday, I hope that aspect disappears entirely. In the sports’ industry, I do look forward to the day when we are reacting to the players’ ability on the ice (or the field, or the court) instead of the race or the orientation.
I don’t mean to be a nit, as I normally like Buccigross’s work, but I sure wish he either a) wrote the piece better or b) didn’t try so hard to tell this story. However, it’s an important one to tell and I’m glad they told it.
by pbcoyotes on Nov 24, 2009 8:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
It’s too bad that sports seems out of step than what society might be with these issues.
I don’t think it is, that much, though. People all have different outlooks, and they struggle when a long-held idea about some group – homosexuals, blacks, whites, Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists, whatever – is suddenly called into question when a member of what they thought of as a homogeneous herd steps out and is recognized as a friend or member of their own family.
Some people still insist on maintaining their same prejudices – which I do not understand, how someone can have such a rigidity of thought that they would even cut themselves off from a family member to keep their attitude intact – but many or most people think about what they have felt for a long time in the light of someone they know. Instead of “gay people” they might think “my brother and his friends” and that puts a face on it.
Tolerance does not come quickly, it never has, but at least it does come eventually. His son has a lot of courage.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
by Baroque on Nov 24, 2009 9:17 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
I think sports is more out of step though, otherwise there’d be openly gay players “in the workplace.” Both in and outside of sports, homophobia is almost the last frontier of accepted prejudice. Or: I’ve encountered plenty of people who are not (or at least claim not to be) bothered by racial or religious differences, yet are (openly) prejudiced against homosexuals. Don’t see the converse at all. But within sports, the locker room atmosphere and macho humor and trash talk definitely holds this issue back. Maybe also because sexual orientation is not a “visible” difference.
We’ve seen NHL players called to the commissioner’s office for allegedly using a racial slur on ice. Think we’ll ever see a player get the same discipline for using a homophobic one?
Lighthouse Hockey: Side effects may include Weight gain and frequent game loss.
by Dominik on Nov 24, 2009 11:31 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs
Or: I’ve encountered plenty of people who are not (or at least claim not to be) bothered by racial or religious differences, yet are (openly) prejudiced against homosexuals. Don’t see the converse at all.
I have known a few. They were very subtle about being uncomfortable around (in this case) blacks, but had no obvious discomfort around homosexuals. But it does seem much less common.
Maybe also because sexual orientation is not a "visible" difference.
I think that’s what it is. When the person sitting next to you is black, it takes a particularly stupid example of person (and I have known some that dumb, too!) to make derogatory racial comments. Which they then seem to dismiss immediately with a laugh and a waved off, “no offense” as though that makes it all better. And if the difference is apparent at a glance, a prejudiced person can avoid someone at a distance, while a homosexual can in effect “surprise” them.
I think it is in many cases more acceptable to be open about prejudice against homosexuals, but even the dimmest know that whatever they feel about different races or religions you have to keep that quiet because otherwise you get yelled at. In the same way, there are still some things that it is accepted to say about women in a workplace, and if anyone points it out they are dismissed as being oversensitive, but some comments that are definitely off-limits – and most people learn pretty quickly where the line is to be offensive, but not too offensive.
I wonder how many homosexuals are staying quiet because they are so sure that no one in their lives will ever understand and accept them, only to be just as wrong as Brendan was about his father? It seems that the fear goes both ways – many heterosexuals afraid of being around homosexuals (at least the stereotype as they envision it), and on the other hand so many homosexuals afraid of the reaction from those they know because they do not realize that their friends don’t intend for those hateful comments to apply to them.
I would hope that those who are tolerant would outnumber the inflexible bigots – I’m afraid they might not, but I sure hope so.
"While there's life, there's hope." --Cicero
by Baroque on Nov 25, 2009 5:40 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
One of the things we’ve learned in my sociology of sport class is that sport tends to promote exaggerated notions of masculinity and femininity, and that particularly in hypermasculine sport cultures like that in hockey, there is a strong tendency towards “mandatory heterosexuality,” and that those who deviate are ostracized and mistrusted. It’s unfortunate, but given that many segments of North American society still feel the same way, it’s not going to change anytime soon.
In a generation or so, this will all seem rather quaint, I’m sure, but in 2009, Brendan Burke is risking his career by coming out. Good for him for standing up for his right to be himself. Seems like a very Burke thing to do, all things considered. ;)
SNN Sports - A theoretical Oilers blog (i.e. theoretically, I write stuff there). Link now 100% less broken.
by Doogie2K on Nov 25, 2009 8:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m having a harder and harder time disliking Enrico Blasi over the last year, even if he did get his start working for George Gwozdecky.
by J. Michael Neal on Nov 24, 2009 10:12 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
All class as always. Here’s hoping Brian and Brendan change the cultural of pro sports forever.
MG
by puckreport on Nov 24, 2009 10:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs
This is a great story. I’m sure there will be a career for him in hockey. It’s people who have the strength to take risks like this who change hearts and minds.
by Hawerchuk on Nov 25, 2009 12:15 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
I’m just stoked that this article is being considered so important by so many- enough to be a full length feature. That tells me right there that things are starting to shift in the right direction. I hope it doesn’t take as long as I fear it will for gays to be out and playing pro sports at the same time.
Go Cats and Go Canes!
by KentuckyCane on Nov 25, 2009 11:35 AM CST reply actions 0 recs
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