i'm not sure most NFL GMs care all that much about locker room harmony anyway. My guess is he gets drafted where people thought he would because GMs want players and someone generally falls in love with the low measurables energy guy. If they'll look past all the questionable shit the average NFL prospect has they surely will look past this. as hat said the attitude surely will be "if you have a problem with it here is the door." that isn't to say this guy isn't going to have a tough road though.
I don't think it will affect his draft status. He was projected as a 3rd-5th rounder, and that's where he'll go.
I agree, but how much talk will there be about him until he gets drafted? Somewhere, some dumbass will write how terrible it is he has to wait to be drafted due to his sexual preference, it will go viral and people that know not one damn thing about the draft or how an undersized project 3-4 LB is rarely taken highly will champion it. Then, someone else will respond by saying how a gay man in the NFL will tear apart a locker room. That's what I dread. Dumbasses not knowing what the hell they're talking about.
Was listening to TonyB's show for a bit, but had to turn it off after a while. He and a lot of his callers want to make this such a big deal in that it isn't a big deal, and he is trying to be an attention whore, and it is all media driven, congratulations are not warranted, etc. Personally, me thinks they protest too much. Perhaps I am reading a lot into what they are saying, but it sure sounds sour. Being openly gay in this country, while not what it was 10 years ago, is still a career hazard in many ways. And people still get beat up for being gay. And if it is being an attention whore, in a league full of attention whores, this would have been done a long time ago.
Isn't it possible, though, to be 'openly gay' and not have to have a press conference or give an interview or however, and make it everybody's business? That's always been my feeling.
A lot of folks are either incapable or unwilling to use empathy when it comes to gay people and this specific situation. I respect and agree with people who question why this is a big deal, because it shouldn't be. I agree that it shouldn't be a big deal, but just becasue some of us feel that way does not mean that everything is peachy everywhere else. Fact is that gay people can be fired in more than 30 states for simply being gay. GLBT teens attempt suicide at rates five times higher than their heterosexual peers, and plenty of people are still under the impression that sexuality is a choice for many who are gay. That's why this is a very big deal, courageous on his part and ultimately a very good thing.
Basilio's blog is even more ridiculous. He makes the same BS statement about "What's the big deal?" and then, in the next line says that "Sam's announcement won't be lauded in NFL front offices. This is reality." What's the big deal? You answered your own question! The typical comments from the detractors are always the same nonsense; "what's the big deal?" , "why are they trying to force this down ouor throats?", etc.
He came out to his team months ago. His reasoning for doing it now makes sense. He's about to have NFL personnel digging through every aspect of his life. Come out publicly and get it out of the way.
Isn't something open, by definition, everybody's business? In this case, having that presser ensures everyone knows. Which means there shouldn't be any way in hell that he ends up on a team that is against having him simply because he is openly gay.
I think there's a distinction between being who you are, no hiding, vs thrusting it into the public eye like this. Now, for this case, I see groves point about the draft upcoming and getting it out there for that reason. Otherwise, in general terms, I don't care. It's nothing to do with me.
I'll be glad when it gets to the point where we don't need a ****ing press conference to alert the world that the gays picked up another member. Good grief ... who cares. Maybe someday soon, the next Michael Sam can sit in the green room or in his living room on draft day, holding his boyfriend's hand, and the football world just say, "Hmm, didn't realize this guy was gay." ... and then not give two shits about something that doesn't matter.
Good post. I look forward to that day as well. I think what gets lost is that in order to get there we need situations like Michael Sam to take place.
If it became a regular deal, then I don't think so. It's still a big deal because there's no one openly gay and a large segment of the population still worries about shit like taking showers together and condemning the behavior through their religion. Once there are no more barriers to cross, then it won't be such a big deal. How many musicians make the news for being gay? They really don't because that threshold has pretty much been reached.
He projected as a player who would be drafted in the 3-5 round range before this announcement.. I fully expect that to be what happens.
Devil's Advocate: In today's climate, if you're an NFL GM and you have two prospects with roughly identical physical abilities, similar production in college, no character issues, but one is straight and one is gay: who do you choose? Is anyone really flipping a coin here? So it comes down to either social activism or a promotional aspect (not sure how much of either are present in personnel departments). Otherwise Sam gets picked after any viable alternatives.
There's not a single franchise that would pass on him because he's gay if they think he can help them win.
