“If you can play, you can play. ”
This mantra is at the forefront of a new outreach campaign designed to encourage LGBT acceptance in the sports world, an effort that is being supported by a popular Philadelphia Flyers player.
Flyers left winger James van Riemsdyk recently lent his voice and image to the “You Can Play” initiative, a project started by Flyers scout Patrick Burke.
Burke’s brother, Brendan, was an openly gay college hockey player who spoke out against homophobia in sports.
After Brendan died in a car accident in 2010, Burke and his father, Toronto Maple Leafs manager Brian Burke, as well as other family members, have continued his LGBT advocacy work.
The Burkes’ latest initiative, “You Can Play,” launched last month, includes a series of videos of sports figures — pro and non-pro athletes, broadcasters, team managers — proclaiming the message that athletes should be judged simply on their ability to play.
Van Riemsdyk is joined in his piece by both Burkes and nine other National Hockey League players, including players for the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders and Rangers.
Burke said “You Can Play” enables the players to make inroads in dispelling two myths: that LGBT people are not suited for the sports world, and also that the sports world does not want them.
“We’re fighting two different stereotypes here, that there are no gay athletes and that all athletes are homophobic,” he said. “From the athletes I’ve worked with, they’re sick of being portrayed as big meathead jocks who go around picking on people, just as the LGBT community is sick of being portrayed as non-athletes or non-sports fans. We hope that this gives straight allies a vehicle through which to speak out because this is what they want.”
New Jersey native van Riemsdyk, 22, said homophobia was never part of his own hockey upbringing.
“I honestly never really thought about it,” he said. “I wouldn’t have thought any different of a teammate or whoever if they were gay, and I owe that to my parents for raising me to treat everyone the same way, and to treat people the way I would want to be treated.”
Van Riemsdyk said he was encouraged to join the campaign in part because of the longstanding reputation of the Burke family.
“Patrick started all of this for his brother, to carry on his mission and raise awareness,” van Riemsdyk said. “I had a few buddies who played at Miami College of Ohio where Brendan was the team manager, and they had great things to say about him, just about what a great kid he was. So when Patrick approached me about getting involved, knowing what I knew about him and his family, it just seemed like a great thing to do. The Burkes are a great family and good people, and they’re people I’d want to get involved with.”
Burke’s scouting region takes in the Northeast sector, and he met van Riemsdyk while the latter played at University of New Hampshire.
He said van Riemsdyk was a natural representative for the initiative.
“James is one of the players I know best on the team,” he said. “He’s the type of kid we’re looking to get involved in this program: He has high character, a great work ethic, he’s well-respected and he’s a hell of a hockey player.”
Since joining the “You Can Play” initiative, van Riemsdyk said he received a number of supportive messages on Twitter from fans.
He also saw positive feedback from fellow Flyers, two of whom — Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell — appeared in the first “You Can Play” video.
“My close friends on the team definitely didn’t hesitate at all to get involved. In talking to Patrick, all the athletes who joined have been really happy to be a part of this and to raise awareness. That’s the whole goal of the project: If you can raise awareness for something, the more acceptance there will be.”
Burke expects “You Can Play” to continue to cross barriers — engaging both male and female athletes from the hockey world and a number of other sports.
Organizers received the first video focused on high-school athletes this week, and have seen an uptick in college-sports submissions. This fall, “You Can Play” will release its “playbook,” a resource guide for athletes, coaches and fans on how they can assist in making the sports world more LGBT-friendly.
For more information, visit www.youcanplayproject.org.