Wow.
I don’t know what I’m more astounded by - that a baseballer came out over 50 years ago or that journalists didn’t report on something that would have garnered them a ton of controversy/ratings/publicity. Truly a different era.
1976 was 37 years ago, son. And 1982, when Burke came out to the public, some time after he retired, was 31 years ago.
Haha, it’s been a long week. Simple arithmetic is apparently too much to ask from me 
If he tried to tell sports writers about it and they didn’t want to publish it, I think that counts.
It’s not at all clear to me that he “tried” to get sports writers to write about it.
He didn’t actively conceal it from sports writers he talked to, and those that knew declined to take the initiative to write about it. They probably thought they were being considerate in their discretion, doing him a favor–or else they were simply mindful of their own editors, readerships, and careers.
Burke never spoke with gay-oriented publications at all during his playing career.
If Burke had specifically wanted to get the fact out to the public, it would have happened.
Were there any significant LGBT-focused periodicals then? I know The Advocate has been around since the Sixties, but I can’t imagine it had more than a few thousand readers at the time.
The press also didn’t report on FDR’s disability, Babe Ruth’s whoring, Mickey Mantle’s drinking, or John F. Kennedy’s affairs. There was something more like a gentleman’s agreement between the press and the people it covered in days of yore - maybe society was a little more genteel or maybe nobody realized the scope of the public’s appetite for scandal and the details of the private lives of famous people. Leaving aside the question of whether Burke wanted his story written about, I think at that time the press wouldn’t have seen it as a subject of social import and controversy and publicity. They would’ve seen it as sordid and their editors might’ve just killed it. In modern terms it might’ve been seen as a story about an athlete coming out as a pedophile.
With respect to Burke, we’re talking about the late 1970s. After Vietnam, after Nixon lied to us all on TV. Hardly an age of innocence. The sports media may have been reluctant to start a story about a gay athlete who had not (as I believe) insisted that they do so, but if the gay press (which was small but widespread and well-established) had picked it up, general writers would have had to deal with it somehow.
Broussard is doubling down on the stupidity. Asked about his earlier comments he said he doesn’t agree with being gay, whatever that means, and gays can be Christians, but only if they feel really bad about it. Asante Samuel made some dumbass comments on Twitter about ‘why do people need to announce their sexual preferences’ and ‘I don’t want to explain this to kids,’ but when ESPN brought him in for an interview he refused to say anything at all. That was some good, pointless TV.
Please tell me. I have not followed NBA for more than a decade. How well known is this guy to a casual fan. Someone mentioned that he is at the end of his career.
When an International cricketer came out a few years ago, the overriding reaction was “who the hell is he”.
I think mainly fans from the cities he played for would have known him. I’ve not heard of him before this, but I’m also slightly less than a casual fan.
La Galaxy (MLS) had an openly gay player take the field yesterday.
Now that the NBA trade deadline has passed, it’s possible Collins will find himself employed soon. It’s been widely reported that he worked out for the Brooklyn Nets recently and the LA Clippers may also have some interest. Collins spent years with the Nets early in his career and the Clippers are coached by Doc Rivers, who coached the Celtics when Collins played for them. He may only get a 10-day contract at first, but presumably the team that signs him would want him through the rest of the season and the playoffs if he’s able to contribute.
When I saw this had been revived after eight months, I thought it would be about Michael Sam.
ESPN says Collins is signing with Brooklyn now and will play tonight against the Lakers in L.A.
Sports Illustrated says Collins signed on a 10-day contract.
Collins has dressed and is available, though he hasn’t yet taken the court. That’s to be expected, he’s a defensive specialist who won’t see a lot of minutes.
In totally unsurprising news, nobody on the Nets seems to mind.
ETA: Well, as I was typing that, he got into the game for a few minutes and played his usually first-rate defense, so that’s out of the way. He seems to be in game shape, gotta give him credit for staying fit while he was out of the league.
ETA2: And then he commits a turnover so maybe a little rust.
Can someone more knowledgable than me (i.e. anyone) explain the timing of this signing and its significance?
I wonder about the timing coming after Michael Sam’s coming out and upcoming NFL draft. That plus the rumors that an active player was considering coming out makes me suspicious of the timing. Is this a publicity stunt or is it a legitimate signing? The 10-day thing makes me think its a stunt. But I don’t know much of anything about basketball.
Nothing suspicious about it. The Nets needed a Center and were unable to trade for one. Collins is a bubble player at this point in his career, not quite good enough to sign for a full contract, but better than a lot of other options for a short term fill in.
10-day signings are pretty common, especially after the trade deadline, and even more especially when they involved players who haven’t signed with a team all season (and are less likely to be in game shape). Not a publicity stunt - the Nets are playoff contenders looking to add significantly important pieces. Collins will come off the bench to add defensive depth. Plenty of details in the link that Patch provided last night.