Glenn Burke (1952-1995)

To celebrate baseball player Glenn Burke is to honor the resilience and courage of a gay man in sports during a time, during which his sexuality sparked open prejudice. A gifted outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics in the 1970’s, Burke was hailed as the next Willie Mays, but his admission to his teammates after two seasons in the closet and the subsequent damage control from officials, including pressure for him to marry led to his early retirement from the game. After baseball, Burke found community in San Francisco, competing in the Gay Games and in San Francisco’s Gay Softball League. Unfortunately, Burke’s later years saw him struggling with addiction, homelessness and AIDS, the complications, from which he died at the age of 42. Since then, he has been honored for his forthright courage and surprisingly for being the “co-inventor” of the “high five.”  In 1977, Burke raised his hand to celebrate Dusty Baker’s home run and instinctively Baker slapped it - creating a cultural phenomenon that has become a worldwide gesture of celebration and greeting. ​