Ok Sports fans, here is your homework. It’s not very often that I insist you read something, but Michael Farber’s article in Sports Ilustrated is must reading. The story on Brian Burke is fantastic. Talk about a story that “captures the spirit of thing”:

“A few days after Brendan came out to his father, in late December 2007, Brian told him, “You know the best part? I don’t have to take anything back.” Burke says he never told his children there was anything wrong with homosexuality. But when he really rummages through his memory, he concedes there are smudges on his otherwise clean conscience. When he played in the American Hockey League in the late 1970s—he was a stay-at-home defenseman whose skills fast-tracked him to Harvard Law School—he spoke in the lingua franca of the locker room. “Yeah, I used those slurs,” he says. “I’m embarrassed by it. It was an accepted part of the [hockey] culture, and it still is. But not on my teams. It’s a big part of trash talking, and that’s got to change.”

That’s just one piece of Farber’s story that caputures much of the Brian Burke that we don’t get to see or hear about..

“”Last summer I said something [nasty] about Kevin Lowe, and Brendan asked, ‘How can you stay mad at someone?’” Burke says. “I said, ‘It’s easy.’ He said, ‘No, it’s not. He used to be your friend. It doesn’t make sense. I don’t approve.’”
When Lowe, now the Oilers’ president, learned of Brendan’s passing, he e-mailed Brian, referring to their shattered relationship while offering his sympathies. Burke immediately called Edmonton G.M. Steve Tambellini, with whom he had worked in Vancouver, and asked him to tell Lowe that this is one broken fence he wants to mend.
And so Burke and Lowe began the healing process last week at Canada Hockey Place. In their best moments, the Olympics can be as much about peace and friendship as about rivalries. Five nights before the U.S. beat Canada 5–3, the grieving father walked over to Lowe, a Team Canada executive, and offered his hand. Burke says an awkward sort of half man-hug accompanied the handshake. ”

Fantastic stuff Michael, a great story on a Burke. It becomes easier to become a fan of Burke with each passing day. While he portrays himself as the big truculent type, you can tell there is a softer side that is probably driving the bus more often than not. That’s good to see.

Sports Illustrated’s Michael Farber’s excellent article on Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke can be read here.

Stay at home Berger has a post about the “Burke” story of the week.

“I’ve wondered – since the outset – why Brendan’s personal affairs are business. He is a law-abiding citizen, and should therefore have the same right as any of us to determine, without apology or defense, his druthers toward religion, political following and sexual orientation. Given the stigma that continues to surround homosexuality in our increasingly permissive society, it would have been entirely reasonable for Brendan to maintain his private posture.”

I “bolded” the first part simply, because I am not entirely sure what SAH Berger means. My guess is that he is wondering why Burke Jr.’s personal life is public. The answer to that question is in all the interviews that both Burke and his son have given since the story broke. Brendan chose to go public with story for very personal reasons. That’s his choice and he has let it be known his reasons since he talked to ESPN first.

Why it is such a big story is very easy to ascertain too, his Dad is Brian Burke, the GM of the Maple Leafs, he is one of the bigger names in management in hockey and is in the biggest market in the sport. It’s quite stunning that SAH even goes there…

“Now, I’m certain both he and Brendan would like to shelve the subject and return to the privacy of their family lives. We should grant them that respect.”

Is he kidding?

Shelve the subject? You mean like Tiger Woods would like to shelve his little car accident? Hey, I am going to go out on a limb here but I am sure that Brian told his son that once Brendan goes public he will never be able to “shelve it”. Not only that, but given the profession of Brian, his wife and Brendan you can bet that they threw the term “private lives” out the window a long time ago. I also am quite sure that they fully expect to be asked about this issue for a long long time.

As for respecting that wish, I don’t think anyone will be offside for asking about it either. Brendan has chosen his path and that didn’t include privacy. He had that before and actively chose to “come out”. Don’t get me wrong, Brendan deserves to have his life and be afforded the same privacy that we all do. But once you make yourself a very public figure that comes with a cost.

For SAH to think otherwise is off base.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia