Talk:Brendan Burke/Archive 1

Speedy Delete
I don't see how this is a speedy delete candidate. It may well qualify for AfD, but notability is clearly and reasonably asserted Vartanza (talk) 13:05, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

I agree. What's the rationale for deletion?

Bmclaughlin9 (talk) 00:38, 9 February 2010 (UTC)

It doesn't make sense to delete this article. Brendan's contributions to gay rights and opening a dialogue among hockey fans have been many and far reaching. Lou2u (talk) 03:17, 10 February 2010 (UTC)

Speedy Delete Contested
This article is about a sports (hockey) person that spoke out about homophobia in sports. He is well documented in many news organizations including ESPN.com. Deleting the article would only be an attempt to silence his attempt to make professional sports more accepting of homosexuals. He is the son of a major sports person and accepted by that person. Guy M 13:10, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
 * I an concerned with your characterization that placement of a CSD tag on the article and deletion would be an attempt to "silence [an] attempt to make professional sports more accepting of homosexuals." Although prejudice can be occasionally be seen in the actions of some editors, I highly doubt that this is one of those cases.  In addition, there are enough of us around would remove that any hint of bad faith edits. I would suggest you look at any action by all editors as a good faith attempt to improve the quality of Wikipedia and also have faith that there are many of us around that would move into action at the first sign of bad faith edits.  Thanks and my best to you.   ttonyb  (talk) 17:03, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
 * A Speedy Delete is not a "good faith attempt to improve". A Speedy Delete is to remove articles that are not encyclopedic.  New (valid) articles get tagged Speedy Delete so FAST by patrollers that then never look back, it's impossible to improve them before they are deleted.  Maybe a "Slow Delete" is a better policy.  Plus any number of articles (that apparently have been approved by some WP committee) as encyclopedic that really are not:
 * Train stations / Subway stations
 * Schools (Elementary, Jr. and High)
 * Even within a WikiProject I started, there are articles (Tropicana – Las Vegas Boulevard intersection) that seem to be acceptable, that lack notability. Notability (on WP) depends more on the reader, not the editor.  Guy M 12:57, 15 February 2010 (UTC)

This Article Must Be Kept
Let's try to remain civil when discussing this page. First and foremost it must be noted that there are several reasons to keep this page as its own separate and distinct article. Whether or not this ample discussion is simply based on the recent death of the subject is irrelevant. The reasoning is as follows: Brendan Burke was the first member of a new classification of athletes. Confined under the conservative "tough-guy" sport of hockey, Burke was in a state of trepidation as he feared his sexual orientation would be revealed to his teammates. However, overcoming this stress and anxiety, Burke NOTABLY became a first for the sport of hockey. Burke did not yield to the pressure, instead he surmounted such an obstacle, and became the first openly gay figure in the sport of hockey. If this does not elucidate his notoriety, then what does? Consider this:

Jackie Robinson: the first African American Major League Baseball Player

Harvey Milk: First openly gay elected politician

Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova: first woman to go into space

General Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice: First and second African American Secretaries of State.

Glenn Burke: First major league baseball player to openly declare his homosexuality

Barack Obama: First African American President of the United States []

All of these people are notorious for they have enervated many of the boundaries our society has established throughout history. Burke has done just the same by becoming the first openly gay affiliate of the sport of American ice hockey. This is why he has been noticed by ESPN, TSN (Canada's leading sports news source), and countless other news sources. Brendan made the courageous first step that many athletes of the same sexual orientation fear to make. His legacy is more than enough to get something as simple as his own encyclopedia article recognizing his intrepid actions to progress the sport of hockey. His legacy shall live on for he has made the first step for all future hockey players who encounter the same dilemma he struggled with. Hopefully many current or retired homosexual players who are concealing their sexuality will learn from Burke and address their sexual orientation to the public as well. There should be no question whether or not Brendan Burke deserves his own Wikipedia Article. The legacy he has established for the sport of hockey and the homosexual community is one that will not be forgotten, whether intolerant Wikipedia members feel it is a worthy article or not. Ajflann (talk) 10:28, 10 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Let's be realistic here. Brendan Burke was NOT a "professional hockey player" but rather the son of the Toronto Maple Leafs GM. As such, he came from a privileged position. Coming "out" in a situation like that is hardly comparable to the history you cite.76.17.118.157 (talk) 08:34, 13 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I totally agree. He was not a professional or amateur international hockey player and cannot therefore be quoted as a "First" in the Hockey world. There must have been many young gay lads who played hockey and gave it up because of pressures they came under. Let's wait until the first REAL GAY PRO comes out and find out how he is treated on the ice. He was not a notable sportsman (or anything else), his notoriety is inherited from the position of his father. All the headlines in the media contain the words "son of Leafs GM" or "son of Brian Burke" which proves his lack of personal identity. Most references on Google and Yahoo are for other people with the same name, notably Brendan Burke, the comedian. He was merely his father's son. Wiki IS not and SHOULD not be a forum for the promotion of homosexuality. In this day and age questions of religion and sexuality are private matters. Why go into an environment which is totally hostile? He did it because of his father. Why come out in public when you're a total nonentity? Because he wanted to make a name for himself, being gay was easier than being a sportsman, and he could do it because of his father. Wiki is not a memorial site. It is not a GAY memorial site. This guy did nothing and has changed nothing for gay athletes whatever all the gays of the world may like to believe. He did it all from a comfortable position, hiding behind "daddy", just to try to become famous! Williamgeorgefraser 13:46, 13 February 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Williamgeorgefraser (talk • contribs)
 * That reasoning certainly contains a lot of POV and speculation on your part. "Promotion of homosexuality"? What does this have to do with "religion and sexuality"?  What on earth are you talking about?  Plus, this isn't a forum for speculation, it's a page for editors to discuss improving the article.Luminum (talk) 19:14, 13 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Please go to Articles for deletion/Brendan Burke for the deletion discussion. That's the purpose of that page.Thorin (talk) 15:54, 13 February 2010 (UTC)