Just so we're clear I was not in any way equating what Robinson endured or the significance of Robinson to Sam. We are in agreement there. I tried to be clear in my previous post that I can see some situational comparisons, more to do with ripple effect.
The only way they could be similar is if Sam is called "******" after every play for a couple of years and isn't allowed to give any reaction.
I'm sure some of that is coming if he makes a roster. There's tons of dumbass fans out there & you can bet your ass Goodell would discipline him if he reacted.
Yes. I saw an article with a bunch of random tweets when the Sam story broke, and they were replete with ignorance and outright hate. If he makes it to the NFL he'll hear plenty of slurs and likely receive death threats too. Humanity is littered with idiots.
The only reasons I wouldn't compare the two are: 1) Robinson was a great player, we don't know if Sam will be 2) Sam could have still played if closeted 3) with blacks, people who didn't like blacks pretended to be horrified and insulted by him playing. With gays, people pretend like it isn't a big deal at all and not worth even mentioning.
I wish Sam was a lock 1st rounder. I'm sure there are a few teams saying "We can't touch him" due to his being gay. There are more teams saying "We don't want him because he doesn't fit in our defense" and I would hate for that to be misconstrued as homophobia. The guy is a tweener 3-4 LB and 4-3 DE and there are a lot of those types that wash out quickly. He may go to the combine and blow up with a 4.5 forty and 30 reps of 225, but I don't think he's got those measurables. People are going to criticize where he goes if he falls down the draft to the 5th or 6th rounds. There's a lot more to it than his sexual preference.
#2 is kind of huge. Nobody is/was telling Sam he can't play. #2 kind of invalidates the comparison, IMO. As far as #3, people actually were horrified and insulted by Jackie Robinson playing. Wrongly so. And I thought it not being a big deal was the objective?
anyone thinking he isn't going to hearing gay slurs every game is kidding themselves. no, not Jackie robinson, but not insignificant either.
I got it, but why would gay slurs bother a guy who just proudly told the world he's gay? Nowhere near the connotation that there is with the racial slurs.
I'm sure everyone has seen this already, but figured it's relevant to the thread. [video=youtube;Olc5C4SXAYM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olc5C4SXAYM[/video]
I agree that the slurs won't bother Sam very much. He's obviously very comfortable and confident with who he is and won't let that stuff bother or define him. Slurs certainly speak more to the people hurling them than they do the recipients.
Read better. The connotations are different. The connotations regarding gay people are about things they actively want to do.
I read perfectly fine and understand the differences in connotations. Still, the idea that Sam won't be affected by slurs because he has pride in his status is a bit too hopeful, just as Robinson, a noted man who passionately defended his race, was affected. The slurs directed at the two aren't the same, but I don't think they are as far apart as people seem to suggest.
why wouldn't they bother them? anything that is intended to be derogatory bothers people. and I agree it's not the same as the N bomb.
Point was the two aren't comparable. Derogatory commentary being bothersome applies to all competitive endeavors.
