Michael Sam

Charlie Merry

Blog #6:  Gay NFL Prospect Makes History

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Prof. Popovich

 

            Football has long been considered to be the most brutal and macho sport in existence. The culture of an NFL locker room is no different. Players make crude jokes and off color humor is considered to be the norm. However, recent cases of bullying in the NFL have surfaced, creating a dark cloud over the NFL. Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin, two players on the Miami Dolphins, have had legal issues with one another stemming from reports that Incognito bullied Martin. Text messages were released by Incognito’s agent, hoping to clear his client’s name. These texts were extremely homophobic and regularly made lewd comments regarding gay people. Michael Sam, an NFL prospect, recently came out as being gay.

 

            Gay people are stereotyped as being sensitive, unmanly, and genuinely soft. Michael Sam is six foot two, 262 pounds of pure muscle. Sam had an amazing career at the University of Missouri. Sam capped his senior season by winning the SEC conference’s defensive player of the year award. The SEC is widely regarded as the best conference in college football. While Sam might be gay, it clearly doesn’t affect what he does on a football field. There’s been a wide range of views on Sam coming out as gay.

 

            Most people are receiving Sam with open arms and laude his coming out as courageous and noble. When the Westboro Baptist Church went to boycott his reappearance on the University of Missouri’s campus, over 2,000 students showed up as well, blocking the WBC’s protest. Sam has also received many votes of confidence from his teammates and coaches, calling him a great person and teammate. However, there have also been some people who’ve said that Sam could create problems in the locker room. The NFL has never had an active gay player, which makes what Sam did historical.

 

            Saying Sam would be a distraction is somewhat preposterous. Sam’s University of Missouri teammates have already said that Sam was one of their favorite teammates. Some NFL players believe that it would be awkward to have him be in the same locker room as them. The NFL should make sure that it’s providing a safe environment for all kinds of workers. Saying “that’s just how it is” won’t work anymore. The league must make sacrifices to make everyone feel safe and comfortable where they work.

 

            Also, the NFL can’t say that Sam isn’t “NFL material.” The NFL has active players who have been convicted of dog fighting, manslaughter, DUI, domestic abuse, and murder. However, someone who’s gay is suddenly being questioned for his character? The overall mantra should be, if you can play, you can play. I’m sure that every general manager will have to consider Sam when the draft occurs in a month. Sam has proven himself on the football field, and hasn’t shown any questionable characteristics. I’m glad that Michael Sam let it be known who he truly is. Sam will surely break down some ancient and barbaric barriers in the NFL.