I was thinking about…The High Five
By Andy Lee
Shout out to Blake Lee for the idea of this post!!
The high five is a gesture that is now commonplace, used by people of all ages and backgrounds as an expression of triumph, celebration, or simple greeting. But how did this enthusiastic hand slap become so popular? Many trace its origins back to 1977 and an iconic moment on the baseball field.
It was October 2, 1977. The Los Angeles Dodgers were playing the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium in a pivotal game to decide the National League West division title. The Dodgers’ left fielder Dusty Baker was coming up to bat in the bottom of the sixth inning, with the game tied 1-1. On deck was Glenn Burke, an outfielder and Baker’s teammate.
Burke was known for having a positive, upbeat attitude despite facing setbacks in his career as an openly gay athlete. As Baker approached the plate, Burke held up his hand for a spontaneous “give me five” gesture. Baker obliged with a hearty slap. It lifted both of their spirits in that tense moment.
This is how journalist Jon Mooallem from ESPN tells the story:
It was a wild, triumphant moment and a good omen as the Dodgers headed to the playoffs. Burke, waiting on deck, thrust his hand enthusiastically over his head to greet his friend at the plate. Baker, not knowing what to do, smacked it. “His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back,” says Baker, “So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do.”
https://www.hi5.team/blog/who-invented-high-five#:~:text=It%20is%20generally%20accepted%2C%20though,Dodgers%20headed%20to%20the%20playoffs.
Baker got a hit, and eventually scored the go-ahead run. The Dodgers won the game 5-1, clinching the division. Afterward, Burke approached Baker in the locker room and held up his hand again. Their grinning teammates crowded around, hands held up, as Baker and Burke enthusiastically high-fived everyone in celebration.
According to Burke in interviews years later, it was in that moment that the high five was born. The exuberant, communal hand slapping perfectly encapsulated the feeling of joy over their shared success. From there, the high five spread through sports, popularized by Burke who would enthusiastically greet other players this way before games.
The 1977 Dodgers were an eclectic group of characters and pioneers in many ways. Manager Tom Lasorda helped broker a historic contract for black player Dave Lopes a few years prior. The roster included gay players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean, in an era when homosexuality was heavily stigmatized in sports. Lasorda’s son was also gay, and died in 1991 from AIDS-related illness.
This culture of diversity, camaraderie and open-mindedness was fertile ground for something as simple and profound as the high five to take root. As Lasorda said, “It was just friendship, enjoy, happiness amongst the team, knowing that we just won.”
Burke is credited not just with inventing the high five, but enthusiastically promoting its use early on. Sadly, his sports career was cut short by injuries as well as prejudice against his sexuality. He died in 1995 at just 42 years old, another life lost far too young in the AIDS epidemic, his contributions unknown by many.
But echoes of Burke’s exuberance live on in the uplifting high fives exchanged by people every day. The group high five even became an Olympic symbol – during the 1984 games in Los Angeles, local organizers handed out foam fingers printed with the words “Go for the Gold!” and a graphic of five hands slapping together.
The high five’s magnetic appeal lies in its inherent pleasures – a visceral sense of connection, touching joy with the literal outstretched hand of another. A high five makes any accomplishment, big or small, just a bit sweeter and less solitary. According to the book High Five by Glenn Burke’s biographer Jon Mooallem:
“The low-five and high-five did more than just reshape the ways we congratulate each other…Once the hand slap caught on, something else started to happen – something bigger than pure celebration. People started high-fiving and low-fiving when they hadn’t even done anything special…giving hand slaps became a way of making connection.”
So next time you exchange a grinning high five over an accomplishment, a joke, or just because, remember where it came from. The Dodgers. Dusty Baker. Glenn Burke. A group of pioneering misfits and outsiders in the 1970s, forging bonds of friendship and uplifting each other. Their teamwork and openness sparked something magical in one spontaneous moment – a simple act that made spreading joy and connection just a little more tangible.
Stay curious, keep exploring. 😊
I was thinking about... 