 |
| Michael Sam |
A fairly high profile football player has announced that he's gay:
former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, who is very likely to get drafted by an NFL team in April. I've noticed that other sites are pulling this off their boards, locking threads, etc.
Feel free to discuss it here, but I approve the comments. Pro or con, I don't mind an open discussion, as long as your comments don't deteriorate into hateful speech either way.
I feel like this is going to be a bigger issue among coaches and higher ups than it will amongst the players. Most people under 30 have grown up in a much more tolerant society and really don't care about others' sexual orientation. If he can play he can play. My only concern is if he doesn't pan out as a player, people will blame it on his sexual orientation rather than him just not panning out. Players with a mid-round draft grade have a sizeable failure rate in the NFL anyway.
ReplyDeleteHa -- let the fireworks begin.
ReplyDeleteI'm perfectly OK with this as long as the young man doesn't eat shellfish (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+11%3A9-12&version=KJV).
He's very brave and I must say he ought to be applauded for this, but this will most likely negatively influence his career in the league. The league is testosterone-filled place and still not LGBT friendly to say the least. I hope he makes it though, and bring the discussion re: homosexuality into the league.
ReplyDeleteYes, most people under 30 have grown up in a much more tolerant society, but we have to look at where most successful football players have grown up.
ReplyDeleteI have noticed that TYPICALLY successful football players don't come from great areas, and may not have the most tolerant of upbringings because of it. Even the nicest players in the world - Denard Robinson - didn't grow up in good areas. Just look at the text exchange between Incognito and Martin - often faggot is used as a term between the two of them, meant to be joking but it's still used as a derogatory term.
It definitely will be interesting to see how this develops. Wherever he does get drafted, I have to imagine the locker room isn't going to be 100% unified in support of his sexuality. I don't think there will be any hateful hazing, but he is going to be singled out either being poked fun at for his sexuality, or slightly alienated from the entire team because of it.
On another note, this could have a cascading effect, where all the players in the NFL who are already gay start coming out. I have to imagine there are another 15 - 30 players in the NFL who are gay and haven't come out. That would be kind of neat.
Changes or coming!
I've thought about that last paragraph before. I've read estimates that say 10% of people are homosexual or have homosexual tendencies, so if that holds true, then there should be about 170 players in the NFL (32 x 53 = 1,696) who can identify with Sam.
DeleteEverything that happens from now through the end of his career will be seen through the filter of LGBT. Where does he get drafted? 5th round? It MUST be because he's gay! He's a second rounder for sure! What?!?! He got hazed as a rookie and forced to carry someone's luggage like just about every other NFL rookie??!?! It MUST be because he is gay! What?!?! He only lasted two years in the league??? It MUST be because he is gay!
DeleteThis is not any detraction from his natural born abilities, but people are going to color what happens in his career based on his sexuality.
Yup. ~10% of men are said to be gay. There obviously are closeted cases in the league. Hope his brave action spark a discussion re: homosexuality in the NFL and CFB.
DeleteI have no idea why anyone would applaud this guy for telling people what he does in his bedroom. And before you say that it's not a choice read the good ol bible. God did not make people into something that he does not like. I've had the same best friend for nearly 30 years. You could say I love the guy. But I never wanted to go to the bedroom with him. It is unnatural. Why is sexuality even being discussed in sports? My young son isn't going to be able to watch football because they will be discussing sexuality! This story is rediculous. People must need attention awfully bad
DeleteMaybe you should talk to your son about things instead of avoiding it and keeping him away from it. He will be exposed to it at some point anyway and probably won't care much either way. When I grew up their was a lesbian couple down the block with a daughter. I knew the girl had 2 mothers and while I knew it was different I didn't really care, just an interesting fact about the kid.
DeleteOh, and maybe god likes gay people? Or he doesn't exist.
Are you saying I should talk to my young son about sexuality?! Children are angels and should never be subjected to this subject! If you do this, then cps should come take your kids away. Growing up in a God fearing household, I was never allowed to watch smut on television and that was the right thing to do. Sports should be about sports, not sexuality. God rained fire and burned 2 cities in the bible for this, and spoke negatively at least 12 times in the bible. I don't think he likes it. And you saying he doesn't exist tells me what kind of person you are.
DeleteI bet it's less than 10% in the NFL. 10% is for the whole popoulation, but for playing football, guess most of the players are more masculine than normal persons. so I guess probably there are only 1-3% of the players may be gay.
Delete@nobody?
DeleteAre you trolling? I have a hard time believing anyone could be this deliberately stupid. Either that or your parents put you in bubble wrap for your entire childhood and you seek to do the same.
I actually thought a current player would come out first, but credit goes to Sam for being unashamed.
I've been a Michigan football fan for over 30 years. Don't call me a troll because I have a different opinion than yours. Or for being raised in a high moral family that grew up in church. My points are that sexuality shouldn't be the discussion in football. I can't believe that the country has changed over from a Christian loving country to a liberal, same sex loving country. Where political correctness is chosen over values that started this great nation.
DeleteAs for being stupid I was in the gifted program for higher IQ students the entire time I was in school. Just because opinions are different than yours do not make them stupid.
Delete@nobody
DeleteYour posts are YouTube-comment wrong (meaning factually in error to the point of inducing aneurysms) and I find your need to whip out your genitals amusing, but for Magnus' sake I'll stop here.
Blastbeat88. Good choice
DeleteThunder, I've heard the 10% number before, but I don't know how or where that number was determined.
DeleteI majored in math at U of M, and looking at every facet of my own life, I have to estimate the probably to be lower than 10% I would assume closer to 3-5%. Looking at my high school graduating class - have kept tabs on who's who post high school and post college. 300 males. 3 came out during high school, 2 came out afterwards. Who knows if there are any still closeted, but there it is.
My workplace - 100 males, 1 gay.
My family - not including uncles, or fathers, because they are the ones having children and will be excluded automatically, I have 22 cousins, and none are gay.
If we were working off straight expectations, there would be 30 gay dudes from my high school, 10 gay guys at my work, and 2 gays in my family.
So like I was saying, I've heard the 10%, but I don't believe that number for a heartbeat. I think the number might have been grossly inflated in studies to make more of the LGBT community feel comfortable coming out. If scientific studies were conducted based off my 3 separate populations, 2% of my high school was gay, 1 % of my workplace, and 0% of my family.
And even if the 10% was the accurate number, I don't know if we can go straight from there and say the expectancy for gay football players is 10% of football players. From my experience with gay men, not trying to be bigoted in any way, they aren't as physically imposing as straight men. It seems like straight men have more of the alpha male mentality in them, and those are the kind of men that will be better at football and sports in general.
Anonymous above thinks he is so foreward thinking, but notice the bias in his own statement: "I have noticed that TYPICALLY successful football players don't come from great areas, and may not have the most tolerant of upbringings because of it. Even the nicest players in the world - Denard Robinson - didn't grow up in good areas." What do you mean great areas? And what makes you think "tolerance" comes from any particular place? Further, I would note that "tolerance" means only one thing: you agree with the most liberal way of thinking. If I disagree with a trend, its me that's not tolerant
ReplyDeleteThat 10% number is pure wishful thinking on the part of the gay community as the more common they can make you believe it to be, the easier it is for them to make their case that gay relationships should have the same legal standing as hetero relationships. I sincerely doubt that 10% of men in in Gay havens, San Francisco or New York are gay ..... maybe South Beach or Saugatuck ..... maybe ..... in season.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to the gay rights thing, I'm lining up Ron Paul's thinking on the subject which is basically to question what business is it of any unit of government to involve itself in the formation of any contract between consenting adults gay or straight.
Issues having to do with sexual preference will mostly go away when there is no money to fight over. As the government continues to go broke they will methodically reduce Social Security benefits, for the time being by cooking the books in their calculations for inflation which serves to reduce upward adjustments to benefits. At some point SS/Medicaid/Obama payouts will be means tested and then become defined contribution plans, and everybody will cease caring about who your partner is as the money will have been wrung out of the argument.
Roanman, your Clint Eastwood is showing. That 10% figure isn't "wishful thinking" and your opinion on this topic is rather outdated.
DeleteThe rest of your comment is off-topic. That has nothing to do with Michael Sam. There's a definite chunk of closeted gay NFL players, and I hope this results in the cascade mentioned.
Clint Eastwood. lmao.
DeleteI can't believe this. If I was gay, I would have never admit it while still playing such a high profile sport
ReplyDeleteSomething that will surely affect many GM's and owners decision on whether to draft this young man is the media circus he will bring in with him. Tim Tebow is not a great passer, but he should have a role on someone's football team out there. But the media circus, isn't worth the hassle to them. Tebow isn't an elite talent and neither is Michael Sam. If this were a Clowney type guy then it would be worth taking on the media for. Sam, at least according to Mel Kiper, is a 3rd rounder at best and likely in the 3rd-5th range depending on how well he tests at the combine. Unfortunately, this will become more about his sexuality and less about his ability to play football for most of his career.
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for the kid, his draft status will now be weighed against which team is willing to deal with the media firestorm coming their way instead of being based off of his football ability/character. This will be Tim Tebow x 1000, and all of his teammates will have to answer 100 questions about it everyday. Everything his future team does will be placed under a microscope.
ReplyDeleteThis will officially make the draft unwatchable, ESPN must be salivating over this. The overanalysis about who will draft him, when he's drafted, is he slipping because he's gay, etc...
I do applaud this courageous young man for having the guts to deal with is. This is a necessary step towards a future where this is no longer news.
This is neither 'brave' or particularly noteworthy. Frankly I couldn't care less. Let the guy's merits show on the field. All else is filed under who-cares?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't care, why are you commenting? And why don't you seem to understand the concept of adversity? Maybe this SHOULDN'T be noteworthy, but that ignores the history of the sport in this country.
DeleteHe's saying that no one should care. All that should matter is whether he can play football at a high level in the NFL. What does the concept of adversity have to do with this? ESPN and most commentators are lauding him. It's the same with that basketball player, everyone said "OMG he's so brave" but doing something that's approved by popular opinion isn't courageous by any real definition.
DeleteWho cares what the media heads are saying? The people who actually matter...other players and the NFL GMs, coaches, and staff...are very much not lauding him.
DeleteRight...because they care about football, and how good of a football player he is. They also have to balance his skills and potential with the media circus that he brought upon himself, and decide if dealing with that distraction is worth drafting him.
DeleteI don't believe this will affect Sam's draft status or career path. At worst, there will be increased due diligence on the kid as a teammate. Lots of calls will be made to Gary whathisname, Missouri's coach who will seemingly legitimately be able to tell people that the kid is a great teammate, and his team rallied around him.
ReplyDeleteHe supposedly struggled in the Senior Bowl playing in space, so the likelihood is that he's a real good situational pass rusher and special teams guy coming in. Maybe he can get bigger without losing his real nice burst, or maybe you can find a role for him from a two point stance. The noise will mostly go away by his second game, especially if people just stuff the press and say, 'Next question." I can see Belichek and Pete Carroll both looking hard at this kid, especially around the fourth round.
I also think the press distraction will die down after a few weeks, as long as he is on the team. Here's the thing, if you draft him you CANNOT cut him or else you are going to open yourself up to protests and a distracting media cycle that will never end as well as having to live with a semi-permanent branding of bigot, because noisy idiots simply will not be able to shut up about how the big mean NFL coach or GM cut the guy just because he was gay.
DeleteI truly hope some team drafts him, but to simply wave off the effects this guy will have on your team is not realistic. Valenti was going crazy on the radio until I had to turn it off about how NFL GM's commenting anonmyously need to put their names behind it. All I want to know is who is going to put their name behind a legitimate concern and open themselves up to the criticism that will flow non-stop towards them.
The balance of power will swing too far towards Sams side once he is drafted as he will have to be handled with kid gloves and while he is a hell of player, I don;t think he's such a game changer that picking him is a no-brainer.
Sam seems like a good guy and I hope his courage is rewarded with something other than the intense spotlight of the 24 hour news cycle that destroyed Tim Tebows career.
Hopefully he'll end up in SanFran where he would be more welcomed you could say.
ReplyDeleteAlso the media is way overblowing the amount of homosexuals there are in the general population. It is near 1 or 2% in all actuality.
That 10% is an extremely high number. In actuality it's around 2.5%. I realize this is a noteworthy story, but I'm already getting sick of it. Perhaps it's blowing up even more because February is a real slow sports month. He seems like he would make a good teammate but the other day Profootball talk had like 10 stories about him. I don't really want to hear every player in the NFL's take on the issue. It was a smart move on his part, even if he ends up being a bust he'll probably be able to make some bank off his increased notoriety.
ReplyDelete