11| Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke. Interview w/ NY Times best-selling author Andrew Maraniss
I talk to New York Times best-selling author, Andrew Marannis (@TruBlu24). His new book, Singled Out: The True Story of Glenn Burke, is out now! Glenn Burke was the first openly gay MLB player and was the inventor of the high five. Burke deserves to be rightfully revered as an important social justice sports icon like Jackie Robinson and Muhammad Ali before him, and Colin Kaepernick after him.
Andrew talks to me about Glenn Burke coming of age in the 1950s and 60s Bay Area during the Civil Rights movement and the rise of the Black Panther Party; How Glenn Burke did not come out publicly during his brief three-year career, but many of his teammates, family, and friends were aware of his sexuality; and how Burke was driven from the game due to homophobia but left an impact and legacy on and off the baseball diamond with the LGBTQ+ community for decades to come.
Also, Andrew tells me the story of Glenn Burke inventing the high five with teammate and current Astros Manager Dusty Baker; how Glenn was also the first MLB player to rock some Nike’s during an MLB game; and Glenn dealing with racism in the minor leagues, homophobia in the big leagues and society, and the AIDS epidemic. I hope you enjoy the interview! Don’t forget to share and leave some comments on Apple Podcasts/iTunes.
About Andrew Marannis:
“Andrew is a Visiting Author at Vanderbilt University Athletics and a contributor to ESPN’s TheUndefeated.com. He has appeared on several national media programs, including NPR’s All Things Considered and Only A Game, NBC’s Meet The Press, MSNBC’s Morning Joe, ESPN’s Keith Olbermann Show, ESPN Radio’s The Sporting Life, and the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum Show (http://andrewmaraniss.com/)
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