Portrait of Glenn Burke

An athletic phenom rises out of poverty in Oakland to professional baseball stardom only to end up a wasted crack addict. The failure was not Glenn’s but that of little minds.

Funny thing about heroes; we can forgive minor flaws, providing they don’t violate our limited moral underpinnings. Glenn was never able to realize his full athletic potential because he became the first professional baseball player to declare his homosexuality.

Baseball is the most masculine of sports: fundamental indolent, full of nonsensical traditions, overblown preening, repulsive habits, and laiden with intolerance.

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