Glenn Burke was an outfielder for the Dodgers and A's in the late 1970s. Although he never publicly came out during his career, most of his teammates were aware of his sexual orientation. Well-liked by the players, but seen as a public image problem by Dodger management, he was traded to Oakland for arguably a less talented player (the motive of the trade is still debated). With the A's, Burke was subjected to derogatory treatment and hateful speech, pushing him out of the league for good. Years later, he confided "I finally got to the point where it was more important to be myself than a baseball player." 35 years after Burke's retirement, in 2014, pitching prospect Tyler Dunnington played one season in the minors, where he was not comfortable coming out to his teammates. He endured hearing homophobic language in the locker room, including the condoning of violence towards LGBT individuals. At the end of the year he walked away from the game he loved, later saying "I felt I had to choose between being an out gay man or playing baseball."
