Professional Teams in Chicago Chipped Away @ Homophobia

Not one, but two professional sports teams in Chicago chipped away at the long-standing barrier of homophobia in sports this weekend. Both the Stanley Cup-winning Blackhawks and the Cubs sent representatives to march in the city’s Pride parade.

Andrew Sobotka, president of the Chicago Gay Hockey Association, invited the Blackhawks to join his group in the parade. Defenseman Brent Sopel represented the team, and marched along with his wife. He even carried the Stanley Cup itself, which the team had flown back early from the NHL Draft in Los Angeles just for that purpose.

Sopel (who has in fact just been traded to Atlanta) wanted to march in honor of Brendan Burke, the gay son of Toronto Maple Leafs and U.S. men’s Olympic team general manager Brian Burke, reportedOutSports. Brendan was killed in a car accident earlier this year, just months after coming out and receiving the unconditional and public support of his father. Brian Burke continues to speak outagainst homophobia in sports and schools. He had drafted Sopel when he was GM of the Vancouver Canucks.

Burke will march in Toronto's Pride Parade next week alongside the city's PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) group, said the Toronto Star.

Back in Chicago, the Cubs this year also had their first float in the Pride Parade. The Cubs are the first Major League Baseball team to have an openly gay owner — Laura Ricketts, a member of the family that bought the team last year. Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks rode in the parade with the Ricketts family.

Looking at other major cities around the U.S., though, it seems Chicago is alone in having official representatives of its major professional sports teams at its Pride parade. (I'd be happy to be proven wrong on that, though.) And while one representative from each team is good, it would be a much stronger endorsement if the whole team took part. Still, the two Chicago teams have taken an important first step.

The Cubs’ Pride float was meant to look like the iconic outfield wall of the team’s Wrigley Field. The ballpark is in the same area as the city's LGBT neighborhood, noted Chicagopride.com.

The Wrigley Field wall may have stood the test of time, but the wall of homophobia is slowly starting to crumble.

by 

by Dana Rudolph. (Gay rights.org)

Photo credit: ttarasiuk