Compete August 2015

NAGAAA Gay Softball World Series

Sports. Diversity.

August 2015 • VOL. 9 NO. 8 • $3.95 COMPETENETWORK.COM

“Game Face”

Featuring Fallon Fox

PublisherS Eric Carlyle • eric@competenetwork.com Patrick Gamble • patrick@competenetwork.com COMPETE MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Connie Wardman • connie@competenetwork.com CompeteNetwork.com Editor Ty Nolan • ty@competenetwork.com Style Editor Alfonzo Chavez • alfonzo@competenetwork.com Art Director Jay Gelnett • jay@competenetwork.com Graphic Design Assistant Matt Boyd • mattb@competenetwork.com Contributors Harry Andrew, Ian Colgate, Joseph Gaxiola, Jeff Hocker, Amy Jones, Jeff Kagan, Miriam Latto, Charles Naurath, Dr. Rob Elliott Owens, Brian Patrick, R. Zachary Sanzone and James Williamson Photo Editor Jacquelyn Phillips • jacquelyn@competenetwork.com Photographers Thomas Fleisher, Leland Gebhardt Sales & Partnerships Tony Apodaca • tony@competenetwork.com Jonathan Bierner • jonathan@competenetwork.com Copyright © 2015 MEDIA OUT LOUD, LLC All Rights Reserved.

Corporate Office 4703 South Lakeshore Drive, Suite 3 Tempe, Arizona 85282 • 480-222-4223 Compete is a trademark of Media Out Loud, LLC Mission Statement Compete unites the world through sports. competenetwork.com facebook.com/competemag @competesports

Compete Magazine

AUgust 2015 Volume 9, Issue 8

16 Chris Mosier – Man of Steel 22 Transgender Fighter Fallon Fox 28 Top Doctors KICK–OFF

10 Community Heroes Jeff Sheng

12 Left Field

Speed Read, Grandstanding, Thumbs UP/DOWN

MVP

24 Ryan Reed Sports

30 The Lazy Hazy Days of Softball 32 2016 Douglas P. Holloway Sports Diversity Conference 35 Athlete Luis Tiant’s Cuban Influence

Lifestyle

38 Fitness

Making the Best Jogging Playlist

Overtime

40 Sportlight on Bars 42 Gym Bag 44 Events 46 Sports Yearbook Compete Online

Check out more Compete stories online at competenetwork.com

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Cover IMAGE BY Jason Setiawan

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From the Skybox By eric Carlyle, Co-Founder

Jenner’s Journey

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@CompeteEric

hen I first saw news reports speculating that (then) Bruce Jenner was transitioning from male to female I have to admit I did not pay the story much attention.

There are several reasons for that. First, since Jenner had not confirmed the story I considered it to be a private matter. Secondly, if the story was true, in my opinion Jenner was not really transitioning from male to female because Jenner was already a female by simply matching body to mind.

But I have to admit, as speculation grew and the press began reporting about the story more and more, I became more interested. In fact, many in the Compete office asked why the story was so important to me. The truth is I didn’t care whether or not Jenner was transitioning. But if that was the case then it was the biggest sports diversity story—ever.

Jenner wasn’t just any athlete. At the time of her Olympic gold-medal-winning performance, she was universally proclaimed as the “world’s greatest athlete.” So what would happen if the “world’s greatest athlete” was really a women living in a man’s body? Apparently, she would win the 1976 Olympic decathlon.

Since Jenner revealed her story to Diane Sawyer this spring, the whirlwind of media attention has continued to grow, including Caitlyn’s own reality show on E!. Probably the biggest appearance Jenner has made since the Sawyer’ interview was her July 15th acceptance of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award during the ESPYs. Truly a deserving winner, Jenner once again stated her desire to be a voice for the LGBT community.

The reality show that premiered last month has instantly become a ratings winner. And thanks to Caitlyn’s desire to provide an inspiration to those in a similar situation, she is now demonstrating that being who you really are is always OK. I applaud Caitlyn Jenner, not only for having the courage to live an authentic life but more importantly, for inspiring others on the same journey.

Sport On,

Eric Carlyle Chief Executive Officer eric@competenetwork.com

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From the Catbird Seat

by Connie Wardman, Editor-in-Chief

An Interesting Mix

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@CompeteConnie

his issue of Compete is an interesting mix of traditional sports and sporting events, and stories reflecting the swift change in public attitudes toward gays in general and gay athletes in particular.

We’re sharing the stories of two transgender athletes, Chris Mosier and Fallon Fox. The transgender community is finally getting some much needed attention. Eliminating transphobia requires education that promotes understanding and acceptance. It’s particularly important for transgender youth who want to play sports to have a trans athlete as a role model. Fortunately, Chris and Fallon are both committed to being open about their transitions and their experiences as elite trans athletes.

Community Hero Jeff Sheng is also educating people by way of his new book, “Fearless.” It contains portraits of LGBT high school and college athletes taken over a 13-year period as well as personal coming out stories and an afterword by Jason Collins.

This month marks the 39th annual Gay Softball World Series, being held again in the softball-friendly city of Columbus, Ohio. With over 5,000 players, officials and fans from all over the U.S. and Canada, it’s one of the biggest annual LGBT sporting events. So grab the gusto (and a cold brew or two) and head for Columbus to be part of the fun.

And for you baseball lovers, we’ve got an interview with Luis Tiant, the great Boston Red Sox pitcher during the 1960s and 70s, by new writer R. Zachary Sanzone. Although Billy Bean was the first MLB player to come out publically, the first gay baseball player was Glenn Burke who was open to his teammates. Sanzone has written an interesting, wellresearched piece on Burke that is now on our website. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it as much as the Compete team. Enjoy!

Keep Smiling,

Connie Wardman, Editor-in-Chief connie@competenetwork.com

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Kickoff

Community Heroes

Jeff Sheng American Artist/Photographer, Visual Ethnographer PhD candidate in Sociology at Stanford University

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ho is Jeff Sheng? To use the title of his newlyreleased book, “Fearless: Portraits of LGBT Student-Athletes,” Jeff Sheng is fearless. But it wasn’t always this way. On his personal journey coming to terms with his sexuality, he has become a hero to many in the LGBT community; especially young high school and college student-athletes.

Once a promising but closeted student-athlete, Jeff Sheng quit tennis during his senior year of high school since, without any visible role models, he believed that being both openly gay and a competitive athlete were simply incompatible.

Endless hours once spent on the tennis courts where he didn’t have to deal with his sexuality were gone. Now with extra time on his hands, he needed to try and make sense of his sexuality. So the summer following graduation he took a community college course on photography.

By fall Sheng was off to Harvard where he studied under British photographer and tenured professor Chris Killip, and wound up majoring in film-making and photography in the school’s Visual and Environmental Studies program. He says that “… photography finally gave me the voice and the courage to deal with my sexuality. It became a form of therapy. … It showed me beauty in a part of myself that I was once so scared to look at.”

Over the years Sheng has exhibited these portraits with accompanying text explaining that all the athletes pictured are LGBT. He said he realized “I needed to put the photos in student centers and athletic buildings where everyone could see them and have their assumptions challenged.”

All the reactions, he said, were the same: “I didn’t know gay people looked like that!”

Sheng uses his camera to document LGBT progress in general and in sports and the military in particular. What started in 2003 as an independent art project has now become a full-color book that includes 202 images of U.S. and Canadian LGBT high school and college student-athletes taken between 2003 and 2015. The pictures were taken after their workouts, showing them as sweaty and tired as any other athlete.

Including personal stories of their coming out experiences from some the athletes as well as Sheng’s own story, there is also an Afterword by retired NBA player Jason Collins. Sheng’s design team came up with the idea of making the book spines in eight different colors to honor the eight colors of the original gay rainbow flag. When placed together on store bookshelves, they’ll form a rainbow.

You can order the spine color you wish; the inside is the same in all color versions. The book is now available from FearlessBookstore.com in both hardcover for $39.95 and a digital version on Rainbow Logo 2GB Flash Drive for $19.50 For more information or to participate in any of Sheng’s projects you can contact him at jeffsheng.com.

Jeff Sheng – The Fearless Project

Do you know a community hero? Community Heroes is a regular feature in Compete Magazine. Nominate deserving individuals by emailing us at heroes@competenetwork.com and include a brief biography of or a link to your nominee.

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Kickoff

Left Field

Speed Read FIFA’s One Shining Moment Still Tarnished by Gender inequality Just days after the BBC laid out a detailed expose of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, in December 2010, Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup and Qatar was awarded hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. But it took until May 2015 for seven major FIFA officials to be arrested in Zurich. Later they and two other FIFA officials and five corporate executives were charged by the U.S. Justice Department over allegations of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies that go back over a 24-year period.

In the wake of the accusations of “rampant, systemic and deep-rooted” corruption within the organization, FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who was elected to a fifth term not long after the scandal was made public, announced his resignation and then withdrew it, saying he will resign in February 2016.

The one shining moment for FIFA in the midst of all this scandal and turmoil has been the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team winning the Women’s World Cup for the third time. Their final match against Japan was one for the record books. It was the highest scoring final in the tournament’s history and U.S. player Carli Lloyd scored the first hat trick and made the fastest first score in World Cup history. And it shattered television ratings; it was the most watched soccer match in U.S. history.

The inequity of championship money for men’s sports versus women’s sports stands as another shockingly ugly reminder of the gender inequality in sports. And from what we witnessed, it’s clear in real time that FIFA doesn’t value its women players.

The U.S. women’s team took home $2 million for their spectacular win, $33 million less in prize money than Germany took home in 2014 when they won the Men’s World Cup according to the BBC. The women were also required to play on artificial turf and competing teams had to stay in the same hotels. And according to PBS, last year’s monies set aside for Men’s World Cup rewards totaled $576 million while the rewards amount this year for the Women’s World Cup was a mere $15 million.

Next month marks the 42nd anniversary of the landmark Battle of the Sexes that was held between tennis legend Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, referred to in a 1973 “Time Magazine” cover as “The Happy Hustler.” Held in the Houston Astrodome in 1973, the $100,000 winner-take-all purse went to King.

King knew that for women to have an equal opportunity in the sports world, it needed to start with equal prize

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money. In the year prior to this epic event with Riggs, she made $15,000 less than the men’s tennis champion. So she said she wouldn’t play in the 1973 U. S. Open if the prize money for the women didn’t equal the men’s, and she wasn’t afraid to stand her ground.

She won the battle but was called “belligerent” for making the demand for equal and fair treatment. She could have retired from active play and lived on her formidable reputation from that victory alone. But she didn’t achieve one victory and walk away. The reason King is still so relevant today is that she remains actively involved, lending her support to help others achieve their victories.

Hopefully some of the stars of women’s soccer, like Abby Wambach, Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe will do for women’s soccer what King did for women’s tennis. They are the latest sports “sheroes” with real fan followings. It they are willing to use their popularity to address the inequities in sports for women, it will make a world of difference for the many young girls of today who are playing soccer in local leagues and dreaming of playing in a future World Cup, just like one of their sheroes.

Then when Blatter finally resigns, there will hopefully be a restructuring of FIFA that includes some equality in prize money and the hiring of some women executives to finally eliminate the outdated reign of the “good old boys network.”

National Gay & Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame Inducts New Class of Honorees Congratulations go to the nine members of the 2015 class inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame on July 24th. They are Kye Allums, Megan Rapinoe, Roger Brigham, Dale Scott, Chris Morgan, Gene Dermody and Robbie Rogers. Deceased athletes Roy Simmons and Helen Hull Jacobs were also inducted.

A Fingerless Fourth This year’s Fourth of July celebrations included two NFL players losing fingers. Jason Pierre-Paul, the NY Giants star defensive end lost his right index finger and C.J. Wilson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback, lost two fingers, all due to fireworks accidents. While Wilson has said he’s stepping away from football” to heal from his injuries, PierrePaul, who’s getting his own medical and rehab care near his south Florida home, is saying he’s expecting to play this season. However, Giants team owner John Mara has said that “… until we see the hand, we’re just not sure.”

Compete Reader Survey

Grandstanding Letters to Compete Magazine

Favorite Beach Activity?

Shades of Black (July 2015) I saw myself on the cover of your July issue. I am a black man with HIV and I also play sports. I have been ashamed of my status since I discovered I was positive in 2013. It is a fact that I hide from everyone, including my family, friends and teammates.

Seeing men like me in Compete Magazine makes things a little bit easier for me. I realize now that I am not alone and that there are other men like me out there. I have always known this but now I can put a “face” to it.

I am working up the courage to be more open about my status and to be more of a role model for younger black men.

Building Sandcastles 8% Surfing 16% Swimming/ Wading 50% Suntanning 26%

Name withheld New Orleans (via email) Editor’s Note: All of us at Compete Magazine are so glad to know this story helped you and we all applaud your courage for sending us this email. It is our fervent hope that you will be able to reach your goal—every person who can be open about his or her HIV status makes a difference!

TALK TO US! Submissions to Compete should include the writer’s name, address and contact phone number and should be sent by email to letters@competenetwork.com. Letters may be edited by Compete and become the property of Media Out Loud, LLC.

吀䠀䄀一䔀匀 嘀䄀一䤀䜀Ⰰ 䴀䐀Ⰰ 䄀䄀䠀䤀嘀匀 吀䠀伀䴀䄀匀 䨀⸀ 匀䤀刀刀䤀一䔀Ⰰ 倀䄀ⴀ䌀 㔀㈀ 䔀⸀ 䴀漀渀琀攀爀攀礀 圀愀礀 倀栀漀攀渀椀砀Ⰰ 䄀娀 㠀㔀 ㄀㈀ ⠀㘀 ㈀⤀ 㘀 㐀ⴀ㤀㔀 ꀀ

ᰠ吀栀爀漀甀最栀 攀砀琀攀渀猀椀瘀攀 爀攀猀攀愀爀挀栀Ⰰ 匀瀀攀挀琀爀甀洀 䴀攀搀椀挀愀氀 䜀爀漀甀瀀 椀猀 愀戀氀攀 琀漀 漀昀昀攀爀 琀栀攀 洀漀猀琀 甀瀀ⴀ琀漀ⴀ搀愀琀攀 琀栀攀爀愀瀀椀攀猀 昀漀爀 漀甀爀 瀀愀琀椀攀渀琀猀ᤠ 洀攀搀椀挀愀氀 渀攀攀搀猀⸀ᴠ

∠ 䈀漀愀爀搀 䌀攀爀琀椀昀椀攀搀 ∠ 䠀䤀嘀 匀瀀攀挀椀愀氀椀猀琀猀 ∠ 䌀氀椀渀椀挀愀氀 吀爀椀愀氀猀

∠ 䴀攀渀ᤠ猀 䠀攀愀氀琀栀 ∠ 倀爀䔀倀 ∠ 䤀渀ⴀ䠀漀甀猀攀 倀栀愀爀洀愀挀礀

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Kickoff

SPORTS QUIZ

… accused of using counterfeit bills. Jacorey Williams, 21, Anton Beard and Dustin Thomas, both 19, were booked into the Washington County Detention Center and, according to jail reports each faces a charge of forgery. All have been indefinitely suspended from the team.

ESPY Awards ... for honoring Caitlyn Jenner with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award; also for honoring Lauren Hill, the 19-year-old with an inoperable brain tumor who raised over a million dollars to fight pediatric cancer while achieving her dream of playing college basketball.

A: The Hawk-eye system. Developed by Dr. Paul Hawkins, it was used in tennis tournaments in 2006 so players could challenge calls made by referees. FIFA adopted the Hawk-eye technology later than other sports – the governing body wanted the developers of Hawk-eye to ensure there’d be a 100 percent success rate.

Three Arkansas Razorback Basketball Players

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Thumbs UP Thumbs Down

Q. For the first time at a Women’s World Cup, the 2015 tournament utilized a technology found in sports like tennis and cricket. What’s the name of this computer system that’s used by referees to determine if a goal has been scored on a close play?

Caitlyn Jenner

… after being awarded the ESPY’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award for saying, “I feel such a responsibility to this courageous group [the transgender community] to try to get it right and tell all sides of the story.

To me, that’s always the biggest question: Am I doing it right?”

You Can Play Project … for being awarded the inaugural Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award at ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian of the Year Awards. It honors Scott’s indomitable spirit, celebrating those who use the power of sport by taking risks and using an innovative approach to aid others in need. Accepting the award on behalf of YCP were Wade Davis, Patrick Burke, Glenn Witman and Brian Kitts

AlSo FeAturIng:

Join us for a 5K Walk or Run as the community comes together to support 17 HIV/AIDS Non-Profits. aidswalkAZ.org #AIDSWalkAZ facebook.com/AIDSWalkPhoenix

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Chris Mosier Makes History For Transgender Athletes

By Ty Nolan

2015

has been a remarkable time of positive change within the LGBT community, especially for the “T” or transgender portion of the gay community.

Transgender, or trans visibility in the media is at an alltime high. Certainly due in part to Caitlyn Jenner’s coming out story and all that’s transpired for her since her interview with Diane Sawyer. For those too young to remember, Jenner was an elite athlete (then known as Bruce) who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games.

But another elite athlete, a transgender athlete by the name of Chris Mosier has made history for trans athletes and the quest for sports inclusion and diversity. Mosier has achieved international attention as the first openly trans man to earn a place on Team USA, a U.S. national team of men, the gender with which Mosier identifies.

In June he competed in the Duathlon National Championship that combines cycling and an additional running portion that replaces the swimming portion of a triathlon.

Having finished seventh in the 35–39 age category, at age 34, Mosier will represent the U.S. in the 2016 World Championship Duathlon in Spain.

While fewer than 10 percent of Americans surveyed say they have personally met someone from the trans community, the media is rapidly introducing everyone to a larger reality. Mosier also reminds us that while the spotlight is often on very successful members of the trans community, “…we need to remember that everyday life for trans people is not all Hollywood and glamour.”

Transgender people experience unemployment at twice the rate of the general population, with rates for people of color up to four times the national unemployment rate. About 90 percent of transgender people report experiencing harassment, mistreatment or discrimination on the job.

Jason Setiawan, Photographer

We’ve featured Mosier a number of times in Compete over the last several years for his many personal accomplishments and his continued support of the LGBT community, children in particular. In fact, he was named Compete’s Mark Bingham Athlete of the Year for 2013. I recently caught up with him to find out what he’s been doing since making Team USA. Compete: There have been so many changes in the interaction and awareness between the LGBT community and the rest of the world, particularly in terms of recognizing fundamental rights. I’ve often wondered what it’s like for many young people who are coming out in 2015. You’re in your mid-30s. Do you think you might have done anything differently if you were transitioning now than when you did?

Chris Mosier: We each find our own identity in our own time. I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to transition at a younger age. But I didn’t have the same understanding of myself or my identity at that time. I appreciate the experiences I’ve had; they’ve made me the person I am today.

How did you first get involved with sports?

I loved sports and was active from a very young age. I started playing T-ball at 4, and then played baseball and softball until college. I was a three-sport all-conference athlete in high school playing basketball and volleyball.

But I didn’t get into running until college when I did it for fitness reasons.

After college was when I really started to get serious about running and started racing. After completing my first marathon, I started looking for other challenges and

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was drawn to triathlon (swim/bike/run). I taught myself how to swim and bought a bike and started training. I really fell in love with cycling. I won my division in my first triathlon and really got hooked.

Duathlon is another multisport (run/bike/run) and is a good way to train for a triathlon when the water is too cold. I found that I really enjoyed duathlon as well, so I started doing them more. “Multisport” races are a lot of fun because there is a variety to keep things interesting.

Last year I won an aquabike race, which is a swimming/ biking race. I prefer Ironman distance and long endurance events but also like to challenge myself by training for other distances, like I did to make the Sprint Duathlon National team.

One of my Native friends is Trent Taylor. We’ve also featured him in Compete. He’s a triathlon athlete and is the grandnephew of Lewis Tewanima, an Olympian 10K silver medalist. Tewanima won his medal over a century ago and is still honored with an annual run on the Hopi Reservation. One of the things that struck me is that when Trent got a new bike a few weeks ago, he named it IronArrow. That made me wonder if you name your bikes as well.

“

What was it like to win your place on Team USA? Were you sure you had it nailed the moment you put on your kit?

I am a nervous racer. Making Team USA was my number one goal for the last year and a half. In the two months leading up to the race I was really focused. And nervous. I wanted it so badly. My training was good so despite a knee injury that prevented me from running in the last three weeks before the race, I was confident going into the race that I would make it. I knew if my knee could hold out, I would make the team.

But I really knew it was going to happen after the bike part of the race, before the final run. I saw my position and knew I just needed to hold on to secure my spot on the team. After the race, it was a combination of relief and celebration. I put so much focus on achieving this goal, so it was both rewarding and exhausting to make it happen. I’m still thrilled.

Have you had to answer questions about hormone replacement therapy, about how your testosterone levels affect your ability to be a competitive athlete?

After the race, it was a combination of relief and celebration. I put so much focus on achieving this goal, so it was both rewarding and exhausting to make it happen.

I’m still thrilled.

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I do not name my bikes. I have an entry level road bike and a tri bike and both are over seven years old. I would like to get a new bike before I begin training for the World Championship in 2016. If any bike companies would like to sponsor me, please contact me!

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That is a question many people have. I have to take tests measuring my testosterone levels to be sure they are in a normal male range before competing. And for the championship next year in Spain, the World Anti-Doping Agency will have to sign off on it.

You’ve also been involved with establishing and running organizations, including transathlete.com and Go! Athletes. Can you tell us more about working with them?

I joined GO! Athletes last year as the director of strategic initiatives and moved this year into the executive director position. GO! Athletes is a national network of current and former high school and college athletes. We have created safer spaces in sports through visibility, education, and advocacy. GO! had a strong presence already in place when I arrived. It’s been an honor to work alongside other passionate people in the sports inclusion movement and to support young people as they navigate identity and athletics.

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I created TransAthlete.com to fill the gap in knowledge about trans-inclusive policies. When I was looking at sports policies, I found there was no central location for policies and practices. Some organizations had policies, others did not, and the policies in place varied greatly. I wanted to make it easier for people to access information about trans inclusion in sports, and then use this site to leverage other organizations to create or improve their policies for inclusion.

I recall you did a fundraiser by running around NYC—as in literally circling the city. What was that like and will you be doing it again?

I like adventures and I like to challenge myself. Running around Manhattan was a great way to do both. And the run was extreme enough to use as a platform to raise money. I am a big supporter of the work done by the Ali Forney Center and the Hetrick Martin Institute in New York, and I try to do some type of fundraiser for them every year or so. I try to take advantage of any opportunity to provide visibility and financial support to organizations working with LGBTQ youth. My next fundraising event will be a “burpee 5k” where I’ll do 3.1 miles of burpees.

Any advice you’d like to offer your younger self and others about getting to where you are today?

Participation in sports is a primary character building part of our development as people. I’ve learned about leadership, dedication, motivation, determination and perseverance through participation in sports. Everyone should have the opportunity and access to participate in sports. It is important that sports teams, leagues and organizations look at their policies and practices to see if they are truly inclusive.

When I was considering transition, I did not see any trans men who were competing at a high level in sports. It is important to me to be visible and open with my identity as a trans guy so that young people know they can transition and continue to play sports. You can do both.

Author’s note: Chris will be honored this month with the Jeff Jewell Spirit Award from USA Triathlon. It is one of six awards presented annually at the Multisport Awards. usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/multisport-awards.aspx

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“

When I was considering transition, I did not see any trans men who were competing at a high level in sports. It is important to me to be visible and open with my identity as a trans guy so that young people know they can transition and continue to play sports. You can do both.

”

Meet Fallon Fox A True Fighter

By Connie Wardman Photos courtesy of Tomba Images Photography

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he first transgender fighter in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Fallon Fox is definitely a force to be reckoned with. She is also one of two athletes featured in the recently released awardwinning documentary, “Game Face,” by Belgian-born, Los Angeles-based filmmaker and director, Michiel Thomas.

While Fox is a winning fighter in the cage, she is also an influential advocate for the transgender community, having received an Emery Award in 2013 from the Hetrick Martin Institute (HMI) for her LGBT advocacy efforts and in 2014 she was named to the Trans 100 list of prominent and influential transgender individuals actively working to improve life for the transgender community.

For those whose only knowledge about transgender individuals starts and ends with Laverne Cox of “Orange is the New Black” and Caitlyn Jenner, to gain an understanding of what it means to be a transgender athlete, it’s important to know the complexity of life, the everyday struggles they must face. Fortunately, Fox has the courage to face her opponents in all phases of her professional and personal life, finally living openly and honestly as the woman she always knew she was from the time she was a six-yearold boy.

One of the huge hurdles to overcome for trans athletes is the question of how hormones affect their performance and whether or not they have an unfair advantage competing against those whose gender is the one with which they identify.

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The question of unfair advantage by transgender athletes has now been answered definitively by the medical community involved in transgender medicine. These athletes do not have an unfair advantage. Yet it continues to haunt transgender athletes like Fox due to a lack of awareness as well as old-fashioned bigotry.

According to current medical findings, after taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for a specified time, transgender individuals should be allowed to compete with their legal gender. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) set its policy on transgender athletes in 2004 with the following rules to compete: • They must have had gender reassignment surgery.

• The must have legal recognition of their assigned gender.

• They must have at least two years of hormone therapy.

In an interview about Fallon Fox, Dr. Marci Bowers explains why Fox has “no effective competitive advantage”

as a transgender woman.

With HRT, physical strength diminishes and both muscle mass and bone density decrease. Bowers adds that post-operative transgender women typically have less testosterone that their competitors, something that Fox confirms. “Any of the women I’m competing against,” she said, “my testosterone levels are drastically lower than theirs; it’s almost nothing.”

At 5-foot-6 and weighing between 135-to-145 pounds, depending on whether or not she’s in training for a fight, Fox will be 40 this coming November. According to the Sherdog MMA website, she has won five of her six professional fights – MMA is her passion. And she has earned the respect and support of many in the MMA community who not only admire her skill as a fighter but also her courage to face the ignorance and anger of her detractors.

Fox is not a publicity hound out for 15-minutes of fame nor is she a cross dresser or a drag queen. Fox is a pioneer, blazing a trail for other transgender and transsexual athletes and non-athletes alike to be able to live an authentic life. As with all pioneers, in addition to the honors and awards she receives from those who admire her courage, she also faces the brunt of peoples’ prejudices, anger and degrading insults from those who are offended and frightened by what they don’t understand.

Not simply a respected athlete, she is also a talented artist and writer as well as a devoted mom to her daughter – she is a bright, intelligent woman who earns the respect of those who get to know her. I first met her in 2013 not long after she came out and I continue to be impressed by her. If you don’t know what it means to be transsexual (meaning you don’t identify with your birth gender), if you don’t understand transgender biology, if you can’t walk the proverbial mile in someone else’s shoes, she will educate you with straight talk in a calm but direct manner; she pulls no punches, either inside or outside the MMA cage.

Although she’s often referred to as transgender, she feels that term is too broad for her personal experience – she considers herself to be part of the transsexual category within the broader transgender umbrella. “What happened with me is something specific,” she said. “I’m a transsexual woman.” Even though she’s very articulate, Fox admits it’s hard for her to verbalize what it feels like to know deep in your heart that your birth gender is the wrong one. “It’s hard” she says, “because the phrase ‘woman trapped in a man’s body’ is thrown around a lot, but that’s like shorthand. It’s deeper than that. There’s so much more to it.”

Fox didn’t set out to become a spokesperson for the transgender community – she just wanted to finally have the physical body that matched who she was emotionally, she wanted to finally feel comfortable in her own skin and just live her life like everyone else. In an interview with “The New York Times” just months after she came out she said that “I want the public to know how it feels, the fear of being scrutinized, of being outed. … I don’t want to talk about it, really,” she said. “I don’t want to. I never set out to do this. But I have to.”

The reason she had to talk about it? It was the dreaded “call” she’d been anticipating for some time, letting her know that her medical records, what she had regarded as part of her personal and private information, had finally been invaded. It came from a reporter with an MMA news site asking about her medical history.

While Fox had always planned to share her story, she wanted to do it on her own terms. But now, refusing to lie about her circumstances and unwilling to share the story with the reporter making the call, on March 5, 2013 she went direct to “Sports Illustrated” (SI) with her story which appeared on the SI website. To fully understand the traumatic impact of that call, you first need to know her background.

The facts are that Fallon Fox started life as Boyd Burton, the middle child of strict and homophobic Evangelical Christian parents with Pentecostal roots in the economically depressed area of Toledo, Ohio. Always more comfortable with women and girls, she wanted to be like them and, as a child, she thought all males felt the same way.

Her interest in sports had started in high school where she joined the wrestling team to protect herself, both at school and in her violent neighborhood. With a slight build and a café au lait complexion thanks to her ethnically-mixed heritage, she faced racially-provoked beatings “from both sides.”

Adolescence only added a deeper compulsion to have a female body and more confusion about her sexual iden(Continued on page 26)

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| COMPETE | 23

TEAM COM Ryan Reed

Age: 41 Hometown: Homer, Illinois Current Residence: Peoria, Illinois Sport(s): Rodeo Relationship Status: Taken Favorite Athlete: Wade Sumpter, PRCA steer wrestler.

Favorite Team: Missouri Gay Rodeo Association (MGRA) Interests: Philosophy, politics, history, hiking, craft beer, good conversation, old Ford trucks, and two-stepping.

Best Physical Feature: My ‘stache.

Why you love sports: I love the honesty of sports. The rules are the same for everyone and everyone wants the same thing—to win.

Sports Played: Rodeo (decently) and basketball (poorly).

Greatest Personal Achievement: Doctorate in Political Science.

Athletic Achievements: 2013 IGRA Calf Roping on Foot Champion.

To be included in our MVP section, e-mail: MVP@competenetwork.com

MPETE MVP

(Continued from page 23) tity. It wasn’t until she was 17 that she heard the word “transgender” on a television program – it’s what gave her a first inkling about what might be going on in her life. When Fox eventually came out to her parents, their response was to send her for gay conversion therapy.

While her deeply embedded desire to be a woman never changed, she really worked at trying to “fix” herself. She said that everything was on the line – not being “fixed” could mean the loss of her family, her friends, even her daughter, of going to eternal hell with no reprieve. So if the therapy worked, if she could be “fixed,” she wanted to try to make it work.

First thinking she might be gay, Fox had grown up experimenting, trying to discover what was right for her while still following her family’s expected traditional path for their “son.” After getting her girlfriend pregnant, Fox did the “right thing” and got married at 19, joining the Navy to take care of her new family. But her internal churning never stopped. So after a fouryear enlistment and some time at the University of Toledo, her world fell apart due to all the psychological stress she was under – she recognized that she was at a critical crossroad in her life.

Her “feelings of gender,” as she describes it, were so intense she knew she had to figure out what to do about her life. “My hair was falling out, which wasn’t good for my psyche,” she said, “and I knew I couldn’t wait because the longer you spend not transitioning, the more the effects of aging make the transition

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not so pleasant.” At that point she decided to focus on her transition process and how to fund it. The process is extensive and expensive – it is certainly not what some people might assume is the easy thing to do.

She also sat her then-four year old daughter down for a talk. “I told her that I felt I should have been born a woman and that it was really, really important to me. I told her the doctor was going to help me become a woman.” To which her daughter responded, “Oh cool. Can we do something else now?” Recounting this story Fox said “She took it well. I think when kids are younger, they don’t have these preconceived notions of what is a transsexual person is.”

At that point Fox dropped out of college and for the next several years was a long-distance trucker to fund her transition process. Finally in 2006, after a period of required hormone replacement therapy and dressing like a woman, she made an 8,000-mile, 17-hour trip to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery, breast augmentation and hair transplant surgery at the Bangkok National Hospital. After a six-week recovery stay, Fallon Fox flew back to the U.S. as the woman she always knew she was. She later had facial surgeries to remove the heavier male features – her hairline was raised, her brow was lifted and her jaw line was smoothed out.

Once again, she did it all alone; she divorced in 2007 and no longer speaks to her parents. Moving to Chicago, she built a new life as a single mom with total custody of her daughter, this time driving a

school bus and working as a diesel truck mechanic to support them.

It was during her trips to the gym to get her body back in shape that she discovered MMA. Seeing women fight and earn respect inspired her. She happened to see a video on female MMA fighter Megumi Fujii and videos of other women fighters, saying she really admired their combined toughness and femininity. “It was like, wow, women are fighting,” she said. “They were doing it bare knuckles. No gloves. I wanted to do that.” MMA has grown beyond its bare knuckle roots, however – fighters now wear four ounce gloves.

What she really likes about MMA is what she calls its “intelligent aggression” and “three-dimensional fighting” where you use all your mental and physical capacities to gain an advantage over your opponent. In 2010 her quest to become an MMA fighter began in earnest when she went to the Midwest Training Center in the Chicago area and began serious training that included Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling and ground and pound-specific training.

By the next year she had turned professional.

While she was willing to reveal her medical history to licensing commissions, she had never wanted it to be open knowledge for her opponents and fans.

But since she was the first MMA transgender female fighter, there were questions about licensing her – the rules hadn’t before included this possibility. It raised

the question if someone who was born male could be allowed to fight as a female against other females.

It was immediately following her second professional match on March 2, 2013 against Ericka Newsome in Coral Gables, Florida when the “call” came that prompted her to take control of the situation and call SI to share her story.

It was the public release of her personal medical records that triggered the question of whether or not transgender athletes have an unfair advantage over their competitors, particularly trans women. And while it was a legitimate one to be examined, sadly, in many cases it took on the aspect of an old-fashioned witch hunt, used as an unexamined assumption to support and defend people’s sexist and homophobic/transphobic prejudices. Something, unfortunately, that Fox and other trans athletes continue to face today.

The reality is that Fox will forever be known as the first transgender MMA fighter – she will never have a truly private life again no matter how much she longs for it. But she also won’t back away from her unintended role as a trans activist – in her own words, “I’m a fighter … so I will fight this battle until the end.”

For more information on Fallon Fox, go to www.fallonfox.com For more information on the “Game Face” documentary, go to www.gamefacedoc.com.

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2015 Compete Top Doctors Spectrum Medical Group, PC Thanes J. Vanig, MD Thomas J. Sirrine, PA-C Area of Practice Internal Medicine, HIV Medicine Location Phoenix, AZ 85012 Website www.spectrummedgroup.com Year Medical Degree Received 1988 (Dr. Vanig) 2009 (TJ Sirrine, PA-C) Tell us about your practice Dr. Thanes Vanig, board certified in Internal Medicine, opened his Phoenix practice in 1998 with a focus on primary care and preventative care for all adults. With his specialty training in Infectious Diseases, he also has extensive insight and up-to-date knowledge in HIV Medicine. Internationally recognized in this field, he has been invited to speak at and also had his work published at international conferences. Serving as an advisor to many pharmaceutical companies, he also is a sought-after lecturer and an author for a major HIV website, thebody.com.

Your health is our number one goal so we want you to feel comfortable discussing your health in a friendly and caring environment. We take care of a broad spectrum of medical needs ranging from routine physical examinations to complex medical problems.

Believing that patients should fully participate in making medical decisions and treatment choices Dr. Vanig and his physician assistant TJ Sirrine always take time to listen to your concerns. We will act as your personal coach, giving you the best and most current medical information so you can achieve optimum health and wellness.

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Thomas J. Sirrine, PA-C, (Left), Thanes J. Vanig, MD (Right)

Advanced Fertility Care

Red Rock Fertility Center

Nathaniel Zoneraich, MD, FACOG Frederick Larsen, MD, FACOG

Eva Littman, MD

Area of Practice Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility

Area of Practice Infertility / Reproductive Endocrinology / Fertility Preservation

Locations Scottsdale, Arizona 85258 Mesa, Arizona 85210 Phoenix, Arizona 85016

Location Las Vegas, Nevada 89148

Website www.azfertility.com www.GayParentsAZ.com

Year Medical Degree Received 1998

Year Medical Degree Received 1996 (Dr. Zoneraich) 1994 (Dr. Larsen) Tell us about your practice Knowing that the goal of each patient is to bring home a baby, our goal is personalized top-quality care. We are committed and passionate about maintaining high pregnancy success rates, helping our patients achieve their goal with the least invasive, least costly means available.

From the beginning to the end, patients are monitored

by Doctors Zoneraich and Larsen who treat patients with the latest treatment protocols for all types of infertility.

They are available around the clock, 365 days of the year, answering all your questions and returning phone calls so you aren’t kept waiting.

And there is no judgment about your marital status, relationship arrangement, age or financial status. We not only offer affordable financing options, we offer our threecycle, 100 percent money-back-guarantee programs for invitro fertilization and donor egg for qualifying patients. We offer a warm compassionate hand to guide you through the process of starting your family.

Frederick Larsen, MD, FACOG (Left) Nathaniel Zoneraich, MD, FACOG (Right)

Website www.lasvegasfertility.com

Tell us about your practice Red Rock Fertility Center specializes in both helping couples achieve their dreams of becoming parents and assisting patients to preserve their fertility so they are able to have children at the most opportune time in their lives. Red Rock Fertility Center was founded in 2008 by practice director Dr. Eva Littman, the only female reproductive endocrinologist in Las Vegas and one of the Valley’s most trusted, knowledgeable and honored fertility experts.

Specializing in challenging cases, Dr. Littman helps patients that other doctors have determined have less than a five percent chance of pregnancy. She offers an outstanding level of empathy and compassion for her patients since she has personally undergone some of the procedures involved with fertility treatment.

Dr. Littman has authored several articles in peerreviewed journals and regularly presents at international meetings and local conferences. She has also helped mentor future OB-GYN residents by serving as an associate clinical professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Nevada School Of Medicine.

Eva Littman, MD

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Sports

The Lazy Hazy Days of Softball

By Ian Colgate When you think of gay softball, what comes to mind? If you are like most gay softball enthusiasts, the Gay Softball World Series (GSWS) should be bouncing like ground balls in your head.

Yes, if it’s August, then the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance, better known as NAGAAA, is busy with its annual celebration that brings in teams from all over the U.S. and Canada. So mark your calendar for August 17-22.

Founded in 1977 and boasting over 800 member teams and 45 member leagues between the two countries, NAGAAA is the largest softball organization dedicated to promoting amateur athletics for the LGBT community.

Keeping its focus on the importance of both gay and lesbian participants, NAGAAA inducted its first woman into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

The organization was formed to encourage gay men and lesbians to participate in competitive softball but with the steady growth of straight allies, it also encourages allied players to be part of the fun. NAGAAA started its Hall of Fame in 1997 as a way to honor the achievements of people and member cities that are committed to growing the sport of softball among the LGBT sports community.

The organization’s focus has always been on several things. In addition to promoting athletic competition and good physical health, it encourages the formation of new gay leagues and helping them during their start-up process.

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Another focus is on encouraging the bonds of friendship that come from meeting and playing with athletes from other areas. Players who have met over the years at the GSWS have formed lifetime friendships. It also provides an opportunity for LGBT athletes to play and socialize together for a common goal.

At both the local and organization levels, fund-raising activities at the GSWS and at local tournaments support national and local AIDS organizations and other charities. But the most high profile event produced each year by NAGAAA is the Gay Softball World Series. It is held in a different member-city each year and monies raised go to the host city.

This year’s host city is Columbus, Ohio which also hosted the GSWS in 2010. Large sporting events like the GSWS require cities with sports facilities able to handle such large numbers of teams and fans. And Columbus fits the bill on that score with 31 softball diamonds that are all in one location – Berliner Park, currently the largest softball complex in the country.

In 2010 the economic impact on the city of Columbus came out to over $5 million. It brought with it huge windfalls for the Columbus area, both in improvements to parks and sporting venues and in cash flow from participants and spectators to the local businesses. Additionally, Columbus received significant media exposure for its inclusiveness.

Details can be found at gsws2015.com

Sports KICKOFF

2016 Douglas P. Holloway Sports Diversity Conference

2016 DOUGLAS P. HOLLOWAY SPORTS DIVERSITY CONFERENCE

Douglas P. Holloway THIS COMING JANUARY THE HALLS OF Las Vegas’ iconic Tropicana Hotel will be filled with approximately 8,500 LGBT and allied athletes from across the U.S. and beyond, all of them ready to participate in one or more of 23 different sports. Each athlete has his or her own story to tell and they will have a chance to tell their stories, whether it is on a softball field, a bowling lane, a wrestling mat or one of the many other sports venue options at the Sin City Shootout.

One thing will definitely be new this year—the addition of the 2016 Douglas P. Holloway Sports Diversity Leadership Conference as part of the Sin City Shootout.

The inaugural conference will host up to 200 leaders in Las Vegas from January 13-15, culminating in a presentation in front of 2,000-3,000 athletes, coaches and sports fans.

Current sports diversity leaders and those seeking a path to leadership in their own communities will come together to fulfill the conference mission – “To create a more inclusive LGBT sports community by mentoring tomorrow’s sports diversity leaders today.”

The Conference is named in honor of the late Douglas P. Holloway, advisor to Compete and husband to Compete co-founder, David Riach. Holloway was the first senior-level bank executive to come out publically – an occurrence so revolutionary that it was covered by The New York Times in 1990. He was serving as a C-level executive (chief loan examiner) of Wells Fargo & Co and as an executive vice president of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. at the time of that interview.

An early LGBT advocate dedicated to helping others within the LGBT community, Holloway served on many non-profit boards, including HIV/AIDS organizations such as San Francisco’s Shanti Project during the early years of the AIDS epidemic.

According to long-time friend and former Wells Fargo Foundation president Tim Hanlon, Holloway was an out and unapologetic gay man at a time when even a suspicion of that could end a promising career. A highpowered executive who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, he was an early force in the LGBT movement within Wells Fargo, continually risking his banking career to address

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issues of inequality, especially for the LGBT community.

Thanks to Holloway, Wells Fargo changed its policy on requirements to open a joint account to one that enabled LGBT couples to open joint accounts for the first time in U.S. banking history.

Prior to the policy change only blood relatives and legally married couples could open joint accounts. Hanlon shared that Holloway went to the Wells Fargo CEO’s office and refused to leave until the policy was changed.

As Hanlon began the long road to creating an LGBT community within Wells Fargo, Holloway worked behind the scenes, mentoring Hanlon along the way. Even though the first LGBT meeting at Wells Fargo was “unofficial,” it attracted more than 100 bank employees. Hanlon further commented that “without Doug, Wells Fargo would not be as progressive as it is today nor would it have such an open diversity policy and LGBT employee base.”

Holloway also mentored and counseled many up and coming Wells Fargo employees and encouraged them to volunteer and get involved in important projects both inside and outside of the LGBT community.

A true LGBT pioneer, Holloway passed away in 2013 but his legacy lives on through the LGBT movement at Wells Fargo and the continued strength of the sports diversity movement.

Compete is proud to honor Douglas P. Holloway for his work at Wells Fargo, within the LGBT community and for his help moving the sports diversity movement forward.

For more information on the 2016 Douglas P. Holloway Sports Diversity Conference please go to sportsdiversityconference.com or info@sportsdiversityconference.com.

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Athlete

Luis Tiant’s Cuban InfluencE: “I Can’t Complain”

By R. Zachary Sanzone Last summer during one of my many outings to Fenway Park I saw Luis Tiant, ace pitcher for the 1975 American League Champion Red Sox team. He was sitting underneath the awning of El Tiante (his nickname during his playing days), and one of the many food venues outside of Fenway Park. Wearing his customary shades and a Hawaiian shirt, Tiant was busy signing 5x7 pictures of himself.

“Hey Luis, how’ve you been?” I asked.

His response, in a soft voice marked by a thick Cuban accent was, “Oh, you know—I can’t complain. But if I did who’d give a shit?”

That’s the kind of humor Tiant brings with him anywhere he goes, and it’s well known by those who know him best. “I don’t know what it is,” Tiant said in Howard Bryant’s “Shut Out: A Story of Race and Baseball in Boston.”

“There is something about me that makes people laugh, even when I’m not trying to.” He certainly made me laugh.

At age 74, Tiant continues to be an active part of the Boston Red Sox, often hanging outside Fenway Park before games and making appearances in Cooperstown during Hall of Fame weekend.

When people think about Tiant, they visualize his legendary wind up and his amazing comeback year in 1972 when he finished 15-6 and had a 1.91 ERA to win his second ERA title. They also remember his commanding presence during the 1975 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. What most people do not know about Tiant, however, are the personal sacrifices he made to become a big league pitcher.

Tiant’s baseball career took off at the same time relations between Cuba and America were growing tense.

In 1960 the United States placed an embargo on Cuba, severely limiting trade between the two nations. The Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Fidel Castro’s success in leading the small country 90 miles off Florida’s south coast towards full-fledged Communism effectively destroyed relations between the two nations.

In the fall of 1961 Tiant, the son of former Negro League pitcher Luis Tiant Sr., was newly married and planning a trip to Cuba so his bride could meet her new in-laws. Tiant Sr., however, told his son not to come. Castro was imposing drastic measures limiting travel to and from Cuba. Once he

was back in Cuba, it would have been difficult for the young pitcher to leave the island to return to Boston.

Over the years growing tensions between Cuba and America made it all but impossible for citizens of both countries to enter and exit without trouble. As a result, Tiant would not On July 19, 1964, Tiant debuted in the major see his father until 1975, nearly fifteen leagues for the Cleveland Indians with a four-single, 11 strikeout, 3–0 shutout victory years later after his against the defending AL Champion New York father first warned Yankees at Yankee Stadium. him not to come

By Unknown - The Sporting News Archives back to Cuba.

Doug Hornig’s book,“The Boys of October” details the reunion between Tiant and his father in 1975. While the Red Sox were soaring toward capturing the American League pennant, thanks in part to spectacular pitching

by Tiant, Senator George McGovern of South Dakota announced a non-official visit to Cuba with the hope of thawing icy Cuban-American relations. When Senator Ed Brooke of Massachusetts learned of the planned visit, he asked McGovern to carry a letter to Fidel Castro asking the Communist leader’s permission for Tiant’s parents to travel to America to see their son. It had been years since they had seen their boy, now a big league pitcher.

Castro granted the request. Who says no one gives a shit about Tiant? On August 20th of that year, Tiant went to Boston’s Logan Airport where, much to his dismay, he waited for his parents’ plane to arrive among a fan- and reporter-infested terminal. He had wanted this moment to be a private family reunion but that was not to be.

Tiant tried in vain to hold back tears when his eyes caught sight of his mother and father, the latter now suffering from emphysema. Six days later on August 26th, Tiant

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Jr. took the mound for the Red Sox but not before a brief ceremony where Tiant Sr. and his son were both honored before teary-eyed Boston fans. Tiant Sr. brought his own comic relief when he told his son, “Tell ‘em I can still go give if they need me.”

In December of 2014, after eighteen months of negotiations between President Obama, Cuban President Raúl Castro and Pope Francis, it was announced that full diplomatic relations with Cuba would be restored, including the reopening of an embassy in Havana. While American and Cubans alike rejoiced at the announcement, many officials in Cuban baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB) began to wonder how this diplomatic breakthrough would affect baseball relations.

It didn’t take long for MLB to begin lifting its own sanctions governing the way Major League teams can pursue

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players of Cuban descent. In January of 2015, MLB advised all clubs that 19-year-old Cuban baseball player Yoan Moncada was eligible for free agency, resulting in more than a dozen teams scrambling to sign him.

While the embargo remains in place, requiring congressional approval before it can be lifted, measures have been taken to alleviate that difficulty. The spending limit for travel and meal expenses in Cuba has been lifted, Americans are allowed to stay in privately-owned homes and they can return to the United States with up to $400 of Cuban merchandise.

While these are small steps towards establishing stronger relations between Cuba and America, they signify a step in the right direction, one where Cuban players will not have to endure the same struggles that Tiant experienced during his playing days.

Late last month I ran into Luis Tiant at the Cooperstown Bat Factory where he was signing autographs during the weekend festivities marking the 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame inductions. The Baseball Hall of Fame hasn’t called Tiant to join their ranks yet. He was passed over for the second time this past December by the Golden Era Committee, a group of veteran baseball players who vote on whether or not to admit those who have passed their fifteen-year window of eligibility following their retirement.

In fact, only one post-Castro Cuban, Tony Perez, is enshrined in Cooperstown and that induction did not take place until 2000. There are four Cubans overall in the Hall of Fame but the other three played before the Great Depression. Hopefully any and all reservations about Tiant’s eligibility will be lifted with the embargo in the next year or two.

Tiant nodded modestly, smiled and bowed his head slightly while covering his heart when I introduced him as the greatest Red Sox pitcher in history to my close friend, Colleen. “Thank you, thank you,” he said. After he and Colleen exchanged pleasantries, I asked Tiant what he thought about the recent developments between Cuba and America, particularly the embargo.

“It’d be a good thing,” Tiant replied. “I hope they lift it soon!”

Me, too, Luis. Me, too.

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Fitness

Make the Best Jogging Playlist EVER!

by Joseph Cardillo, Ph.D.

Here’s How You Can Get Started Pick songs you like a lot. It really doesn’t matter what kind of music you use. What’s important is that you like it. If you like classical, try Mozart’s “Sonata in D Major K448.” This one is iconic.

Are you one of those joggers who can’t even think of stepping onto the road (or track) without your iPod? Well, science says there is a good reason. Here’s Why ...

Music Can Trigger and Maintain Various Mental and Physical States Music works like a high-speed remote control on your behavior. This is because it alters brainwaves as well as blood pressure. It may be capable, for example, of speeding up or slowing down your brainwaves as well as triggering the release of important neuro-chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin and adrenaline into your bloodstream. As a result, songs can highly stimulate or relax you, depending on which way you want to go—up or down— and “optimize” your mindset for situationally specific events—like athletics. The nice thing is that with just a little science you can intensify these effects, make them last longer, and eventually get your mind to produce them almost instantly, all on its own—even without the music.

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Use BPM. The easiest way to begin organizing a playlist is to use the songs’ number of beats per minute (BPM). This is because rhythm and tempo have a direct tie-in to alertness and focus, as well as facilitating muscle coordination and movement. A BPM of 130 or greater (as opposed to 100 or lower) has been shown, for example, to increase mental acuity and flow. Faster rhythms increase motivation, alertness, and mental flow so you get a double effect: flowing muscles and a flowing mind—all good news for joggers.

Relaxation and calm can be brought on by a lower BPM. To give you the idea, a song like Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” comes in at a moderate 124 BPM, whereas “Turn Me On”

by Norah Jones runs a leisurely 56 BPM, and Knack’s “My Sharona” thumps in at a brisk 150 BPM. The Stray Cats’ “Rock This Town” moves at a BPM of 207. You can find your songs’ BPM with a Google or iTunes search.

Playlist Bonus. If you want to really give yourself a lift, play a song with a slow BPM (90 or preferably even less) and then put on your faster rhythms.

Track songs of 135-160 BPM. Arrange as you would enjoy hearing them. Or after doing your run a few times, you may discover that you begin to naturally prefer certain songs over others at specific points in your jog, e.g. when you get to the “park,” when you hit the two-mile point or a particular hill and so on. Simply revise your playlist to match what you’d like to hear at those points in your run.

Anticipate songs as they approach. This will work as a reward, boosting important neuro-chemicals and increasing your feeling of euphoria.

Arc your playlist. You can do this by organizing songs so they gradually increase in BPM, getting you into the flow of things and smoothly getting you up to your desired running speed. Once you hit the keel you’re after, you can keep the playlist’s BPM in a steady range for as long as you like. You can also alternately move it upward (to a higher BPM) with a faster song or songs whenever you feel you want more in terms of oomph or speed. The idea is to figure out when and where you want to pump up your run and program the songs in so they will deliver that effect at those specific points—do the same with slower tunes—as they will help you re-charge when you need it, again keeping your steady keel somewhere in the range of 135-160 or whatever is comfortable for your age and skill. You’ll know when a song is too slow or fast because you will literally feel it working against you—you’ll have trouble synchronizing to the tempo or rhythm. Staying in a fast-paced rhythm and tempo for too long will dry up the faucet, so to speak, and the song will become dysfunctional, so you want to avoid that.

Consider the emotional connection. Pick songs that send you the right emotional message to power your run.

Use songs that spark feel-good memories. The emotional factor can trump BPM, so don’t be worried about mixing in a song with lower BPM as you arc your playlist. Creating your arc is more about the song’s uplifting or relaxing effect on you than it is about sticking to just tempos.

Use slow meditative music at the end of your jog for a cool-down. Ten to 12 minutes of this as you work through your stretches will leave you feeling like a million bucks. Mixing in a little slow movement, tai chi or yoga at the end will put the frosting on the cake.

Here Are Some Of My Favorite Jogging Songs: I Can See Clearly Now – Jimmy Cliff Let’s Spend The Night Together – The Rolling Stones Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett Rock Around The Clock – Bill Haley & The Comets I Fought the Law – Green Day Karma Chameleon – Sixpack Mrs. Robinson – The Lemonheads Rise Above – Black Flag The Boys Of Summer – The Ataris So You Want To Be A Rock ‘N’ Roll Star – The Byrds Turn! Turn! Turn – The Byrds So have fun and start turning your iPod into your ultimate mind-enhancer. Be flexible in setting up your playlists. Remember, to a large extent numbers are just numbers, suggestions and general markers to inspire you.

So whatever works for you, go for it. Enjoy.

References: [1] Mindlin, Galina; Cardillo, Joseph; and DuRousseau, Donald. “Your Playlist Can Change Your Life: 10 Proven Ways Your Favorite Music Can Revolutionize Your Health, Memory, Organization Alertness and More.” Sourcebooks. Naperville, Illinois 2012.

This article originally appeared in the June 18th edition of Huff Post Healthy Living and is being reprinted by permission of the author and Huffington Post. Joseph Cardillo, Ph.D., is the co-author of “Your Playlist Can Change Your Life” (Sourcebooks, January 1, 2012). A research psychologist, he specializes in complementary healthcare, holistic psychology, and mind-body medicine and is a top selling author in those fields. Other books by Dr. Cardillo include: “Can I Have Your Attention? How to Think Fast, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Concentration” (Career Books) and “Be Like Water” (Grand Central Books). For more information on Dr. Cardillo, please visit his website, www.josephcardillo.com.

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| COMPETE | 39

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2 Boxers NYC Chelsea

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND GAY SPORTS BARS IN YOUR COMMUNITY Roscoe’s on 7th Phoenix 602-285-0833 Pilsner Inn San Francisco 415-621-7058 Madison Pub Seattle 206-325-6537 R Place Seattle 206-726-1824 The North End Chicago 773-477-7999 Downtown Olly’s Indianapolis, Ind. 317-636-5597

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| COMPETE | August 2015

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| COMPETE | August 2015

吀栀攀 䌀漀洀瀀攀琀攀 䌀栀愀爀椀琀礀 䜀漀氀昀 䌀氀愀猀猀椀挀 椀猀 愀渀 甀瀀猀挀愀氀攀 最漀氀昀 攀瘀攀渀琀 栀漀猀琀攀搀 椀渀 匀挀漀琀琀猀搀愀氀攀⸀ 吀栀攀 攀瘀攀渀琀 戀爀椀渀最猀 琀栀攀 䰀䜀䈀吀 挀漀洀洀甀渀椀琀礀 琀漀最攀琀栀攀爀 昀漀爀 愀 洀漀爀渀椀渀最 漀昀 爀攀挀爀攀愀琀椀漀渀愀氀 最漀氀昀Ⰰ 最椀瘀椀渀最 琀栀攀洀 琀栀攀 漀瀀瀀漀爀琀甀渀椀琀礀 琀漀 最椀瘀攀 戀愀挀欀 琀漀 琀栀攀 挀栀愀爀椀琀愀戀氀攀 漀爀最愀渀椀稀愀琀椀漀渀 漀昀 琀栀攀椀爀 挀栀漀椀挀攀⸀ 吀栀攀 攀瘀攀渀琀 椀猀 栀漀猀琀攀搀 戀礀 䰀倀䜀䄀 最漀氀昀 瀀爀漀昀攀猀猀椀漀渀愀氀 匀甀攀 圀椀攀最攀爀⸀ ⌀㄀ 䤀渀琀攀爀渀愀琀椀漀渀愀氀 䈀攀猀琀 匀攀氀氀椀渀最 䄀甀琀栀漀爀 匀琀愀爀爀爀攀 䜀漀氀昀 䌀氀甀戀 ㄀㄀㔀 一 䠀愀礀搀攀渀 刀搀Ⰰ ㄀㄀㔀 一 䠀 匀挀漀琀琀猀搀愀氀攀Ⰰ 䄀娀 㠀㔀㈀㘀 匀甀渀搀愀礀Ⰰ 匀攀瀀琀攀洀戀攀爀 ㈀ Ⰰ ㈀ ㄀㔀 㜀㨀 愀⸀洀⸀ ⴀ ㄀㨀 瀀⸀洀⸀ 倀爀攀ⴀ爀攀最椀猀琀爀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 䤀渀搀椀瘀椀搀甀愀氀猀 ␀㄀ 吀攀愀洀猀 ␀㐀 倀爀椀稀攀猀 眀椀氀氀 戀攀 最椀瘀攀渀 昀漀爀㨀 ⨀ 䈀攀猀琀 吀攀愀洀 ⨀ 吀漀瀀 吀攀愀洀 䘀甀渀搀爀愀椀猀攀爀 吀漀瀀 ⨀ 䤀渀搀椀瘀椀搀甀愀氀 䘀甀渀搀爀愀椀猀攀爀 ⨀ 䈀攀猀琀 䐀爀攀猀猀攀搀 ⨀ 䴀漀猀琀 倀爀椀搀攀 吀攀愀洀 ⨀ 䈀攀猀琀 䤀渀搀椀瘀椀搀甀愀氀 匀瀀漀爀琀猀洀愀渀猀栀椀瀀 ⨀ ⨀ 䈀攀猀琀 椀䌀漀洀瀀攀琀攀 嘀椀搀攀漀 挀漀洀瀀攀琀攀渀攀琀眀漀爀欀⸀挀漀洀⼀最漀氀昀 㐀㠀 ⴀ㈀㈀㈀ⴀ㐀㈀㈀㌀

䄀甀琀栀漀爀 漀昀 ∀䜀漀氀昀 ⴀ 吀栀攀 䰀愀猀琀 匀椀砀 䤀渀挀栀攀猀⸀ 䄀瘀愀椀氀愀戀氀攀 漀渀 䄀洀愀稀漀渀

Overtime

Events

Gay SPorts Events Around the Country

Rainbow Boogie The World’s Only Gay Skydiving Event Whether you’re a seasoned skydiver or a rookie who’s dreamed of skydiving but wanted some support to try it out, you’re in luck. The annual Rainbow Boogie LGBT Skydiving event is taking place at Skydive Perris September 10-13, 2015. It’s also open to LGBT allies.

Start time is 8:00 a.m. for the first day and then you can come and go as you please. Cost is still being worked out.

Registration for experienced jumpers is going be around $40-50 and tandems will probably be around $200. Most experienced licensed jumpers will have gear but you can rent gear too. The list of stuff to bring is on the Skydive Perris website.

Located in Perris, California, Skydive Perris is a phenomenal facility. It’s filled with top-notch staff and locals and staff alike are welcoming to everyone. Here are important points about the event: • Airplanes, airplanes, airplanes.

• Perris has an incredible fleet that includes multiple Twin Otter and Skyvans (tailgate).

• Event T-Shirt to add to your collection.

• Freefly organizing each day by a great friend of the sport and fan of inclusion, Kelly Isenhoff. Belly organizing each day. Multiple Rainbow Skydivers with talent to organize groups from two to ten—Large formations.

• Kate Cooper-Jensen will join us Friday and Saturday. She is among the best of the best of the best in Skydiving and big-way.

Aquatics

Softball

2015 IGLA Championships Stockholm, Sweden, Aug. 5-8

Portland Cup Portland, Aug. 8 Gay Softball World Series Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 17-22

Basketball East Coast Regional Philadelphia, Aug. 8-9

Bowling Menopause – The Tournament Tampa, Aug. 7 Big D Classic Invitational Dallas, Aug. 7 Game On Bowling Organization Tournament Sacramento, Aug. 28 St. Louis Show Me Classic St. Louis, Mo., Aug. 29

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• Party Saturday Night at the on-site Bombshelter Bar and Restaurant.

Prizes—full system, canopy, reserve.

Need or want any of these? Aerodyne is providing chances to get these at a significant discount.

• Do plan to attend. Boogie attendees will have the chance to win prizes. Details are coming but you won’t be disappointed.

• Specialty aircraft are possible. We are working on details.

Some members are also working on Balloon jumps.

• To make this happen, we really need commitment from you to come. The best parties are big parties! Please take a few moments to register that you can attend. Please be assured that your information will not be shared beyond Skydive Perris and the Organizing Team. Register here: goo.gl/forms/5Yi4VeZHKS. • If you can’t come due to a boogie fee, PLEASE privately let us know. We will find a ‘scholarship’ for you.

• LA area airports are all within reason. Several of us use ONT (Ontario, California) for commercial airline travel.

Housing and aircraft information can be found at skydiveperris.com/facilities.

• Contact Brek@brekmontoya.com to sign up and register for this fun-filled weekend.

| COMPETE | August 2015

Rodeo Zia Regional Rodeo Santa Fe, Aug. 16

Tennis Motor City Tennis Classic ‘15 Outhfield, Mich. Aug. 15

Volleyball 2015 Austin Summerfest Austin, Aug. 1

Peanut Butter & Banana Bread Protein Popsicles

If you are looking for a creative way to get in some healthy carbs and plant based protein this summer, try out this awesome recipe from MyOamteal.com.

Easy on your belly, great for your muscles, and delicous in your mouth!!

Ingredients: - 1 Very ripe banana - Âź cup of PB Banana Bread (vegan) protein from MyOatmeal.com - 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup - Âź cup water or almond milk - Chopped nuts (optional) Instructions: 1. Puree banana, almond milk, honey and salt in a blender.

2. Slowly mix in Protein and set aside once mixed.

3. Pour a little puree in to lightly greased dixie cups.

4. Insert popsicle sticks & place in freezer for at least 3 hrs.

5. Top with chopped nuts.

Remove and enjoy!

This feature provided by:

Overtime

Sports Yearbook This month in Sports History: August

1 Reggie Jackson enshrined in Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY - 1993

8 Chicago White Sox suit up in shorts - 1976

12

2 Jackie JoynerKersee (U.S.) sets record for heptathlon (7161 pts) - 1986

3

4

5

6

7

4-day NFL strike ends - 1970

Oscar Pistorius 1st amputee to compete at Olympic Games in 400 meters - 2012

At Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens wins his 3rd Olympic medal - 1936

Cy Young pitches & wins 1st game - 1890

Court orders student-athletes can profit from commercial use of their names & images - 2014

9 1st U.S. bowling magazine, “Gut Holz,” published in New York - 1893

13

23rd Olympic Games close in Los Angeles - 1984

15

16

17

18

Pete Rose (Phillies) 12,365 at bat sets record (passes Hank Aaron) - 1982

Patricia Palinkas becomes 1st woman pro football player (Orlando) - 1970

AFL awards 1st expansion franchise (Miami Dolphins) - 1965

Mohammad Ali elected to “Ring” magazine’s Boxing Hall of Fame - 1987

Houston Oiler Earl Campbell, retires from NFL - 1987

22

23

24

25

Pete Rose suspended from baseball for life for gambling - 1989

1st International polo meet, U.S. vs. England - 1886

20

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NY Giants vote 8-1 to move franchise to San Francisco in 1958 - 1957

Colin Jackson runs world record 110m hurdles (12.91) - 1993

Mary Decker Slaney runs mile in world record 4:16.71 - 1985

26

27

28

Brewers-Blue Jays game delayed 35 minutes due to gnats -1990

94th U.S. Golf Amateur Championship won by Tiger Woods - 1994

Source: www.brainyhistory.com

46

Jamaican runner Usain Bolt wins third gold medal at 2012 Summer Olympics - 2012

14

19

20th Olympic games open in Munich, West Germany - 1972

11

10 Rory McIlroy wins 4th major golf championship; 1 of only 4 to reach this by age 25 -2014

| COMPETE | August 2015

Althea Gibson is 1st black competitor in national tennis competition - 1950

29 London holds opening ceremonies for 2012 Summer Paralympics - 2012

30

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Dan O’Brien sets U.S. decathalon record with 8,812 points - 1991

WNBA Championships, LA Sparks beat NY Liberty 2 games to 0 - 2002

DIGITAL

SPECIAL REPORT

GLENN BURKE: BASEBALL’S SYMBOL OF INCLUSION

BY R. ZACHARY SANZONE

IN 1976, A TWENTY-FIVE YEAR OLD BASEBALL player named Glenn Burke made his debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In addition to the charismatic personality he flaunted through pranks in and outside the clubhouse, Burke showed tremendous promise as a minor leaguer, batting .300 or better five times, and completing the 100 yard dash in 9.7 seconds, which convinced former Brooklyn Dodger Jim Gilliam to christen him “the next Willie Mays.” Despite his charisma and athletic talent, Burke harbored a secret from his teammates: he was gay. While not remembered as a strong baseball player, Burke is now seen as a pioneer for gay athletes who never apologized for being who he was, and never succumbed to the pressure that members of the Dodgers organization put on him to be someone he was not. Despite numerous instances of homophobia in baseball over the last several decades, Major League Baseball is not only working to make the game more inclusive for the Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Transsexual, and Questioning (LGBTQ), but Glenn Burke is becoming the symbol of that change currently in progress.

According to his autobiography published before his death in 1995, Burke never revealed his orientation to anyone in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, or in baseball in general. Only a few friends and family members knew that he was gay. Burke himself was not honest about his sexuality until his first few years in the minor leagues, by which time he was already twenty-three years old.

Over the next five years of his career, Burke faced several instances of homophobia, some from notable managers such as Billy Martin and Tommy Lasorda and from some in the Dodgers and Athletics organizations.

When Burke first broke in with the Dodgers he had to compete with players like Rick Monday to stay in the majors. While Monday and Burke competed for a permanent place in the outfield, Monday remembers Burke as being a clubhouse clown, always making people laugh.

“There was no better guy in the clubhouse, I’ll tell you that.

There was no one who didn’t love having Glenn around.”

Even though players like Monday appreciated Burke for who he was, it eventually became obvious that other Dodgers, like Lasorda and general manager Al Campanis, had a problem with Burke’s alleged homosexuality.

Initially, Burke and Lasorda got along as well as most players do with their managers. But despite his promising potential, Burke got little playing time which frustrated him, and wound up creating a wedge between them. In late 1977 an incident took place in the clubhouse where Burke was teasing Lasorda, to which Lasorda responded, “Burke! If I was your age, I’d take you in the bathroom right now and kick your ass.” This reaction stunned Burke, who had assumed that he and Lasorda understood one another well enough to tease each other. Tensions over Burke’s lack of playing time escalated until Lasorda finally pulled him into the locker room and berated him.

Burke details the incident: “He took me into the locker room from the dugout and … cussed me out like I’ve never been cussed at before. He was yelling mother this and mother that. It was very hurtful. I couldn’t help but think his malice toward me had gone deeper than my wanting a chance to play or my practical jokes. Maybe it had to do with my getting along with the other players a bit too well.

Or maybe he knew about my close relationship with his gay son, Spunky. Or worse, maybe he knew that I was gay, too.”

Earlier that year Burke had allegedly begun a relationship with Lasorda’s son, Spunky (in his autobiography, Burke purposely did not elaborate on what kind of relationship it was). While Burke and Lasorda never discussed it with each other, Burke suspects that it played a role in the tension between them. Burke’s relationship with Spunky created a bittersweet bond between the two of them. “We were alike in that we both were disappointments to Tom because of his homophobia and unwillingness to deal with the whole situation.”

The relationship, though never made public, became obvious to the point where the Dodgers organization did two things to not only end his relationship with Spunky but also deflect attention away from Burke’s homosexuality. The first move involved the Dodgers allegedly paying Spunky to stay away from Burke, which hurt him tremendously. “I loved Spunky. And it completely shocked me when he didn’t want to see me anymore. … The Dodgers had paid him to stay away from me. Spunky was a real pussy to end our friendship like that. … That pussy was just like a woman.”

www.CompeteNetwork.com

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Lasorda denies this allegation. But he also denied that his son and Burke had a relationship. In fact, in a La Canada Valley Sun article entitled, “Baseball, Through Tommy’s Eyes,” sportswriter Bill Plaschke details his discussions with Tommy Lasorda about baseball and life in retirement. One topic that Lasorda refused to discuss, however, was his son’s death. Tom Jr., a.k.a. Spunky, died in 1991 of AIDS. But from that time until now, Lasorda still refuses to acknowledge that his son was gay and that he died of AIDS. Plaschke said that Tommy “insisted it was cancer.” This move only compounded what the Dodgers organization did next.

Later that season Dodgers general manager Al Campanis allegedly offered Burke $5,000 for a honeymoon if he would marry a woman to give the public the impression that he was not gay. This was partially due because Burke was the only Dodger ballplayer who was single. But it was largely to quash the gay rumors that had gained traction. When Burke refused, he was eventually traded to the Oakland Athletics. Burkes said as much – “I probably should have seen the trade coming. Lasorda knew I was tight with his gay son Spunky. And Campanis had offered me a bonus to find a woman and get married! Can you imagine that? Al said, ‘Everybody on this team is married but you, Glenn. When players get married on the Dodgers, we help them out financially. We can help you so you can go out and have a real nice honeymoon.’ I said, Al, I have no plans of marrying anyone anytime soon.” While this move backfired on the Dodgers, it did, unfortunately, mark the beginning of the end for Burke’s career in baseball.

In 1980 Burke, now playing with the Athletics, was looking forward to a new season where he could focus on playing better baseball, and hopefully making it to the playoffs with Billy Martin at the helm as manager. However, these hopes were dashed when Burke arrived at spring training only to hear that Martin was telling other people that “no faggot” was going to play on one of his teams.

After hearing that, Burke, who had grown weary of the innuendos, decided to retire, figuring that his status as a closeted baseball player would never give him the fair treatment he deserved.

Some may ask why he never came out to set the record straight.

In Burke’s own words, “So why do gay athletes in America stay in the closet? Because it can be an awfully cruel and unfair world outside of it.” Billy Bean, Major League Baseball’s ambassador for inclusion (who also wrote the preface for the re-released edition of Burke’s biography) states, “[Burke] was a very gifted athlete, and would have surely become a great baseball player if he played in a more accepting time.”

Once all but shunned in the United States, the LGBTQ community has gained support and recognition over the last twenty years. A March 2013 Washington Post-ABC News poll showed 81 percent of young Americans aged 18 to 29 supporting same-sex marriage, an 8 percent increase over four years. While attitudes toward the LGBTQ community have evolved over the last twenty years, homophobia in sports remains particularly strong. A January 2015 Public Religion Research Institute survey showed that 56 percent of those surveyed believe gay and lesbian athletes face a lot of discrimination, while 32 percent said athletes face a little discrimination. Fortunately, in the

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| COMPETE | August 2015

last several years athletes in professional sports have started to rise as symbols of equality and inclusiveness.

Despite Billy Bean being the only professional baseball player (active or retired) other thank Burke to come out, several LGBTQ athletes have emerged in the last several years. In 2013 Jason Collins, a professional basketball player, came out as gay.

Following his announcement, Collins did not receive any offers to play for another team until the Brooklyn Nets offered him a contract. He retired after the 2014 season. British diver and 2012 Olympic Bronze medal winner Tom Daley came out as a gay man in 2013 through a recorded video on his YouTube channel.

In 2014 Michael Sam, a football defensive end was drafted in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft after having come out as gay the year before. Most recently, Olympic Gold Medal winner Caitlyn Jenner (formerly known as Bruce) was interviewed by Diane Sawyer where she detailed her male-to-female transition.

It would surprise no one that there are gay professional athletes too scared to come out. Many of them are likely in sham marriages similar to the one Campanis tried to arrange for Burke. Other athletes may have product endorsement contracts that would be inconsistent with their gender identity. For many, sports are supposed to be made up of men who exude masculinity. Anything else can and often is perceived as being weak, making them a target for competitors and bigots alike. If the United States is making progress in the advancement of gay marriage, and more and more laws penalizing members of the LGBTQ community are being struck down or gutted, then why and how is this kind of progress not being seen more often in professional sports?

Stress for Closeted Baseball Players Stress regarding his sexuality certainly weighed heavily on Burke; the same stress which any closeted major leaguer must bare. Walter O’Malley, then the Dodgers’ owner, did nothing to help Burke. If anything, he only added to Burke’s worries. It was alleged that the sham marriage was O’Malley’s idea, not Campanis’. Burke said that “Al really disappointed me. I had always liked him a lot. In fairness to Al, however, he was probably just obeying orders from above him in the organization. Ownership put pressure on him to do their dirty work. Walter O’Malley was, without question, engineering Al’s plea that I get married. To a girl, of course!”

Always one to clash with his more outspoken players, O’Malley had a similar clash over morals in the 1950s when he spotted Jackie Robinson coming out of his hotel room with a white woman, apparently having spent the night together. When O’Malley saw Robinson with the woman, he ordered one of his executives, Buzzie Bavasi to “get rid of Robinson.” While this incident does not connect directly to Burke or his homosexuality, it does highlight the highly restrictive societal views that influenced O’Malley. He was only interested in maintaining the interests of his team, even if it meant violating the personal lives of his players.

Masculinity and Sports

Many closeted athletes use sports to mask their own sexuality since playing football, baseball or other sports keeps others from questioning their sexual orientation. In the past, sports have often been a haven for male youths where they can prove their heterosexuality. Unfortunately, the ramifications of maintaining a false sense of self can take its toll on closeted youths.

The mentality that only “manly men” can play baseball and the more masculine they are, the better they perform, is one that has been long held not only baseball but also sports in general. Additionally, the expansion of professional sports in the last century has fostered male dominance in defiance of progressive movements like women’s rights. Regardless of whether they like or play a sport, whether as adults or youths, males are judged based on their perceived ability in competitive sports. This mentality is not only sexist, it also reinforces a vicious cycle of unnecessary stress that many closeted athletes feel obligated to shoulder out of fear of outed, of becoming a victim of discrimination, hate and often real physical violence.

The added stress that LGBTQ students feel because of their orientation contributes to mental health issues, also known as minority stress, where prejudice and discrimination contribute to stressful social environments. Minority stress contributes to the general stress most people already experience, compelling members of the LGBTQ community, particularly youths, to boost their efforts to conceal their orientation, all of which takes a toll on their mental health.

For Burke, keeping his sexuality to himself took a toll on his life, eventually leading to drug use. According to the Center for Disease Control, members of the LGBTQ community are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. Drug abuse through the use of dirty needles contributes to the spread of AIDS and HIV-related illnesses.

Burke himself never addressed how he contracted AIDS, but he does offer a glimpse into how others contracted it, “… drugs were increasingly becoming very easy to get ahold of. I began to fall into a trap.

My lover Stan was always offering me pot, and the softball players I began hanging around with were doing a lot of coke. The Castro had changed a lot in those ten years. It began as a place where gays could feel safe and free and ended with heavy drug use and an awareness and fear of AIDS.” Homophobia and the Double Standard in Baseball Rumors about other baseball players’ sexuality have emerged in the last twenty years. What makes these rumors different is that being gay, or being accused of being gay is different from being accused of steroid use or gambling. Baseball players accused of steroid use, regardless of whether they tested positive or not, can eventually recover from the negative attention from press and fans alike, especially if they apologize and take efforts to redeem themselves. For example, after serving a 162-game suspension for testing positive for steroids in 2014, in his first at bat back with the New York Yankees, Alex Rodriguez received a warm reception at Yankee Stadium with some fans going so far as to stand up and applaud him. In 2014 Ted Berg of USA Today Sports wrote an article entitled, “There’s no good reason to keep Barry Bonds out of the Baseball Hall of Fames.” In it he argues that Barry Bonds should not be kept out – baseball players who have used steroids can return to the

game, whether it is after serving a suspension or returning as a coach (as in Bonds’ case). But baseball players who come out have more difficulty finding acceptance.

Gambling also shows little difference in attitude. Baseball players like Ty Cobb, John McGraw and Tris Speaker were suspected of gambling during their careers but are now in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Pete Rose, while suspended for life from baseball, can (and possibly will) be reinstated; Rose has appealed to baseball commissioner Rob Manfred for reinstatement.

What sets a player accused of being gay aside from a player who used steroids or gambled is this – being gay is something that for many years has been associated with being un-masculine. Steroid use avoided scrutiny for years because it helped ball players perform better, translating into wins for teams and records being broken. Gambling, while immoral in the eyes of baseball officials (and illegal in some aspects of the law), has done little to silence those who support Pete Rose’s reinstatement. But being gay, which many associate with being a wimp, girly, unmanly and even a sexually deviant, is something that is taken so seriously that carries so much scorn and isolation, that the mere accusation, regardless of truth, carries so much fear of ridicule, that many baseball players, and athletes in general, often react in a way more intense than being accused of steroid use or gambling.

In 2002, a rumor alleging that a New York Mets player was homosexual surfaced from an unknown source. To many, Piazza was the obvious target. In reaction to this charge, Piazza called an impromptu press conference where he stressed to sportswriters that he is in fact heterosexual. “I can only say what I know and what the truth is and that’s I’m heterosexual and I date women.” Piazza said. “That’s it. End of story.”

When Piazza published his memoir in 2013, he addressed this issue again, saying that he was not offended by being accused of being gay, as much as he was offended that someone would accuse him of entering a sham marriage and having kids in an effort to conceal his sexuality. Regardless of the fact whether Piazza was being truthful or not in his memoir, it does not excuse the fact that while he waited six years between his retirement and publishing his memoir to address rumors of steroid use (which he also denies), he wasted no time at all to hold a press conference to deny being gay.

Paul Lukas of ESPN takes particular issue with Piazza’s legacy as a baseball player. To begin with, he cites Piazza’s complaints about being moved to first base which would have jeopardized his chances of breaking Carlton Fisk’s record for most home runs by a catcher. Lukas also faults Piazza’s reaction to the accusation of being homosexual by stating, “… he missed a huge opportunity to say, ‘But what if it was true? What if I was gay? So what? What if one of my teammates is gay? What if one of YOU is gay? It’s no big deal. Listen, I’m straight, but this whole thing is really a non-issue.’” In a city with a huge gay population, that was an opportunity to show some real community leadership, and he totally spit the bit.” www.CompeteNetwork.com

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Piazza’s hypersensitive reaction to gay rumors illustrates how people’s sexuality can be exploited and used against those who are not deemed a “team player.” It was not enough that people pointed out Piazza’s conflicts with the Mets’ management. The source of the rumor had to take it a step further and call his sexuality into question, a tactic known to bring scorn and suspicion upon anyone at its receiving end. The mere accusation itself, regardless of whether or not it is true, not only makes its target more hypersensitive but also on a larger level objectifies members of the LGBTQ community. It reduces them to exploited pawns in a ruthless and bigoted game of rumor and innuendo.

What is particularly disconcerting is that Piazza not only exploited the social progress of 2013 to conveniently separate himself from his behavior in 2002, he also used it to bolster his enlightened views on homosexuality and excuse his hypersensitive reaction a decade earlier, thus alleviating any potential future scrutiny from the LGBTQ community.

In 2003, a year after Piazza vehemently denied being homosexual, Sandy Koufax (another former Dodger) found himself at the receiving end of a similar rumor. That same year, a best-selling biography about Koufax authored by Jane Leavy was published to wide acclaim. Later that year a gossip column in the “New York Post” (which at that time, along with the L.A. Dodgers, was owned by NewsCorp.), stated that a Hall of Fame baseball player had cooperated with the author of a recently-published best-selling biography in exchange for staying silent about the player’s sexuality.

While Leavy’s book and its subject were never specifically mentioned, Koufax responded by ending his 48-year association with the Dodgers. It was only when Koufax did not attend spring training that sports writers took notice. This example further illustrates how accepted homophobia was in the professional sports world just within the last 12 years. Because of the salacious and unfounded nature of the accusation against Koufax, the New York Post was forced to retract the story. Yet there were those in MLB who were more open and accepting of the LGBTQ community.

In 1999 relief pitcher John Rocker gave an interview to Jeff Pearlman that was published in “Sports Illustrated.” In it he responded to a question as to whether he would ever play for a New York team; “I’d retire first. It’s the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the 7 Train to the ballpark looking like you’re riding through Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing.”

Despite receiving a 14-game suspension without pay and giving a mandatory apology that followed meetings with Braves Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young, Rocker continued to make racist and bigoted comments toward African Americans, foreigners and homosexuals. In 2002 Rocker directed homophobic comments to patrons in a Dallas, Texas restaurant that happened to be located in the city’s LGBTQ-populated neighborhood.

Then in 2006 Rocker defended Ozzie Guillen, then-manager of the Chicago White Sox, who had referred to sports columnist Jay

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Mariotti as a “fag.” In Guillen’s defense, Rocker said, “This is a free country. If he wants to use a lewd term, he should be able to use a lewd term.” Unfortunately, similar homophobic behavior continued into the second decade of the 21st century.

In 2013 shortstop Yunel Escobar was suspended for three games without pay after wearing eye black bearing the words, “TU ERE MARICON” which translates into “You’re a faggot.” The suspension resulted in Escobar losing more than $92,000 of his $5 million salary. In response to questions asking why he wrote the derogatory words on his face, Escobar replied, “It’s just been said around amongst the Latinos. It’s not something that’s meant to be offensive. For us, it didn’t have the significance in the way that’s being interpreted. … It’s a word used often within teams. It’s a word without meaning.”

Even though Escobar said he would donate part of his salary to the gay sports advocacy group “You Can Play” and GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Escobar’s indifferent attitude is still troubling, particularly in relation to Guillen’s comments regarding the sensitivity of the word “fag” and its misunderstood application. Latinos and other minorities are often blamed when initiatives for LGTBQ inclusion stall or fail, mainly because of their attitudes connected to their Catholic faith, even though a report published by The National Council of La Raza and Social Science Research Solutions shows that the Hispanic community is actually more accepting than most minorities.

While homophobia is not tolerated anywhere near the way it was even ten years ago, a player deciding to come out would still face significant challenges. In relation to this topic, Bean states, “The challenges would be that a player is inviting the world into his or her private life. For any person who is a public figure (as all professional athletes are), this will be an added challenge. That is why it is so important that we let our players, employees, executives, fans and all stakeholders in MLB know that our workplace is supportive and fully inclusive.” Despite these challenges, Major League Baseball is making strides towards making the game more inclusive for members of the LGBTQ community.

Constructing a Map for Progress Kirk Walker, assistant coach for UCLA’s women’s softball team, is the all-time winningest coach in the softball program’s history and the fifth-winningest coach at his prior school, Oregon State. Coming out publically as gay in 2005, he is one of two openly gay coach the NCAA. He is also one of the more vocal people on the subject of sports and sexuality.

In an interview with Walker, he attributes the lack of openly gay baseball players to several factors. In contrast to football and basketball, baseball players have more downtime during the course of a game to think about their performance. Basketball players are constantly in motion during a game, and football players have to concentrate on plays.

This free time contributes to players dwelling on their errors;

it also means they have to wait longer to get back into the game to make up for it. But that stress also compounds their fear that others will discover their sexual orientation and publically out them.

The stress of being outed not only impacts their mental health but also takes energy and concentration away from focusing on the game. In other words, managing one’s own playing, and worrying about being gay takes a substantial toll on a player, especially a high school or college player who also has to worry about academics in addition to playing baseball and hiding his or her sexuality.

Baseball is a sport that has drafted players out of high school to a far greater extent than football or basketball with minor leagues taking the place of a college experience as the exclusive personal development ground. In contrast, football and basketball athletes who are exposed to more instances of inclusion on a college campus while baseball coaches, managers, and players alike spend more time in a homogeneous culture that leaves them less exposed to a larger degree of diversity.

A look at baseball coaches shows that many of them developed through the minor league and major league systems and were less likely to have been collegiate players themselves or to have spent time coaching in the collegiate environment. This fact perpetuates the culture that has existed without the benefit of exposure to diverse issues regarding LGBTQ issues, making it challenging for them to respect and understand the LGBTQ community. Now that more and more MLB players have spent time playing in college, however, positive attitudes towards inclusion are growing. Teammates are the ones who Walker says can make the transition into MLB easier for a gay baseball player.

Going back to Walker’s reference about the amount of free time baseball players have, he adds that the time players spend together contributes to a bond between each other that is not seen to the same extent as often in basketball or football. Baseball’s rich history alludes to this concept. For example, in October of 2001 when Red Sox legend Ted Williams was dying, former teammates Johnny Pesky and Dom DiMaggio, despite being in their mid-eighties, got in a car and drove 1,300 miles to Florida to visit Williams one last time before he died in July of 2002.

That type of bond formed over the course of sixty-five years is what leads to celebrating a championship together, and what leads teammates to lean on each other for support in times of defeat. It is this same bond that can sway teammates to support rather than shun a gay baseball player.

This much is exemplified in Burke’s own words when he writes about his teammates reaction to being traded to the Oakland A’s.

“Many of the Dodger players were very upset by the trade. Steve Garvey and I cried. Don Sutton, too. Dusty Baker and Davey Lopes were just pissed off. In fact, the two of them marched up to Dodger vice president Al Campanis’s office and screamed, “You fuckin’ assholes! You traded our best prospect. Not to mention the life of this team.”

Not only were Burke’s teammates upset about the trade, they knew perfectly well that he was gay. This story of loyalty, coupled with Walker’s notion about teammates, effectively shows that when working towards inclusiveness, baseball players can be more

accepting than intolerant when playing alongside a gay teammate.

How do baseball players reach that level of acceptance to begin with? Focusing on advancing the culture of acceptance, Walker says, is more effective than focusing on who the next athlete is going to be to come out. Focusing on what Walker calls an unfair fantasy where people look for the next gay athlete to come out is something that should come second to advancing a culture of acceptance and change. “LGBT athletes are already there in college,” Walker says, “and it has been shown that all players on a team, straight ones too, all do better when diversity and inclusion is freely discussed, even if there’s no gay athlete on the team.”

Walker links this to his previous words regarding the stress a gay baseball player feels when he is in the closet. But when an LGBTQ athlete can be open about his or her orientation, that energy can be redirected to better use. It also keeps everyone else from engaging in a sort of witch hunt.

Walker concluded with the following: “Focus on teammates first, and differences second; that’s really important.

“Sports has that ability.” Bean added, “I am very hopeful that when a LGBTQ player is ready, he or she will feel safe and secure seeing the incredible effort we are making to spread our message of inclusion. As a former player, I want every player to be able to compete in a safe, supportive and healthy environment. The benefit a player would have [in coming out] is being able to play free of burden, as his/her best self. (Something I wish I had had the chance to do during my playing days).”

A Former Minor Leaguer’s Experience Jason Burch, a gay former minor league pitcher who played for four different franchises between 2003 and 2008 and is now a lawyer for Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago. He offers a few ideas on why MLB has not yet seen an openly gay player. The tremendous difficulty that comes with trying to make it to the majors keeps players in the closet because they fear that coming out with jeopardize their chances of earning a permanent place on a major league team.

While Burch says there are owners who would not have a problem having a gay baseball player on their team, players fear they will be identified as a flag waver and get evaluated on different terms or, worse yet, become a target for resentment from other players. “Status quo is pretty nice. Many players don’t feel especially burdened by their ‘closeted’ status. Any sort of new attention being drawn towards ones self that could cause disruption is something a lot of athletes are not excited to do, especially when they can easily be replaced by just-as-good players in AA or AAA.” Another idea Burch presents is that many baseball players operate under the “none of us is gay” attitude. This binary idea divides homosexual behavior between something that you are versus something that you do. If a baseball player comes out, he is not staying within bounds; this pressures other players who engage in homosexual behavior (some www.CompeteNetwork.com

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of whom are closeted, some of whom identify as straight) to clarify their own sexuality. Regarding this attitude, in his article, “Who’s Gay? Does it Matter?” Ritch C. Savin-Williams, professor of developmental psychology at Cornell University states, “… researchers usually define homosexuality with reference to one of three components or expressions of sexual orientation: sexual/romantic attraction or arousal, sexual behavior, and sexual identity. Yet the three components are imperfectly correlated and inconsistently predictive of each other, resulting in dissimilar conclusions regarding the number and nature of homosexual populations. Depending on which component is assessed, the prevalence rate of homosexuality in the general population ranges from 1 to 21 percent.”

This data highlights the challenges players face when contemplating their sexuality. Since many people still see sexuality as a binary gay or straight identity, someone who might have homosexual tendencies but is predominantly heterosexual, may lean toward identifying exclusively as heterosexual. However, the fact that some still take part in homosexual behavior creates blurred lines between the boundaries defining orientation. Openly gay players might exacerbate that anxiety.

This is not to say that Burch thinks a player will face harsh backlash in coming out, even though it will bring its own challenges. “I think the gay baseball player will be well received. It could be a real milestone for the sport. It’s easier to be out of the closet and be comfortable to be in one’s own skin but it’s a tough choice for anyone.

There’s a lot of self-doubt that goes into being gay. Compound that with being a baseball player, (the sport generates plenty of failure and self-doubt on its own) and the media scrutiny and it becomes a real challenge.”

What is particularly interesting is that Burch believes that MLB will see a wave of baseball players come out at once instead of a single player at a time. This idea stems from the notion that since baseball is so team-oriented, teammates will lean on one another for support. “If I were to put money on it, you’re going to see a wave of players come out. Big reason I’m optimistic is because baseball is a live and let live sport, so I would not be surprised if you saw a big group come out.”

Baseball is filled with instances where teammates have risked their own careers and reputations for the sake of their peers. Pee Wee Reese, a southerner from Kentucky, risked his reputation, perhaps even his life when, despite a hostile crowd, put his arm around Jackie Robinson as a gesture of support during a Reds game in Cincinnati. Joe Gordon defied racial attitudes in Cleveland by befriending Larry Doby, the first black man to integrate the American League. As it was with these two instances of racial harmony in 1947, it exemplifies how teammates will be key towards establishing inclusive stability in MLB when we begin seeing players come out of the closet to live and play openly.

Efforts to Make Major League Baseball More Inclusive Language barring discrimination based on someone’s sexual orientation was added to MLB’s collective bargaining agreement in November 2011, including a workplace code of conduct for every major and minor league player that included sexual orienta-

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tion non-discrimination principles and a system for players to report harassment and discrimination.

Before the 2014 Major League All-Star game in Minneapolis, it was announced that Glenn Burke would posthumously be honored as a gay pioneer. Additionally, MLB and then-commissioner Bud Selig announced that former Dodger outfielder Billy Bean would be named MLB’s ambassador for inclusion. Bean played for the Dodgers starting in 1989, retired in 1995 and later came out in 1999. In his appointment address, Bean said, “MLB continues to lead by example with its social conscience and vision. It is our mission to create an equitable working environment, free of discrimination and prejudice for every player, coach, umpire and member of the MLB family.”

In addition to these strides that mark a turning point for LGBTQ inclusion in MLB, Bean reminds us that “Change does not happen overnight, but I can tell you that MLB is making this message a priority, and our mission is to make sure (loud and clear) that everyone is welcome to pursue a career in our sport.

You only have to be good at what you do.”

Conclusion For this author, great pain has come in part with being gay.

Years of being in the closet can create misperceptions which, when coupled with apprehension creates feelings of isolation and self-blame. The blade of isolation sharpens itself on the rock of fear and anxiety. Using one’s orientation as a weapon reinforces misperceptions that drive bigotry, misperceptions that twist the blade in an already open wound and delaying the healing process. That does not mean, however, that comfort and acceptance cannot be found. And that, over time gives birth to pride.

Pride Night, held at Fenway Park every June during Boston’s Pride Week celebrates those births, not only for this author but also for all members of the LGBTQ community who continue to seek acceptance in areas of uncertainty. Coupled with borrowing the will of the enthusiasm of any Red Sox fan, Pride Night at Fenway Park marks the path toward healing and acceptance. In the words of Billy Bean, “We also want every fan to feel like they are at home when they walk thru those turnstiles and come to see their team play.”

If the legacies of people like Glenn Burke can be remembered, then people like Burke will not have to be remembered for the barriers they had to break down but rather for their contributions to the playing of the game. Billy Bean says it best; “[Burke] is worth remembering because every life matters, and we can (and have) learned so much from his struggles. He was a very gifted athlete, and would have surely become a great baseball player if he played in a more accepting time.”

Even though Burke is no longer with us, his memory and legacy lives in every crack of the bat, every base stolen and most importantly, in every current and future LGBTQ athlete who steps onto the field.