Does that go both ways? Should a team that refuses to draft Sam based on their opinion that his sexual orientation would be a “distraction” be condemned for doing so? Or do these kinds of determinations only go against a homosexual player?
Of course this is all assuming (wrongly to my mind) that there is some kind of objective measure of someone’s “talent, skills, and performance”.
The Rams are already in a heated battle with St. Louis about improvements to their stadium, and the lease has an escape clause that can be activated in 2015. Any serious boycott that substantially impacts Rams revenues and the owners will activate the escape clause and move to somewhere that offers a better deal.
In other words, boycotting the Rams could turn their billionaire owner into an even bigger billionaire.
We all know how successful the Christian Rights boycott of Disney was. Place is almost a ghost town…
Somehow I think the Rams will do just fine.
On the other hand,it already seems as if Sam will have the highest selling jersey for any rookie this year
Nope. It will be Manziel, but Sam will likely be the second most. Johnny Manziel’s jersey a top-seller
According to one writer, the NFL should be ashamed of themselves for not caring about Sam, because as a young, black, gay man he’s clearly going to get HIV and die. If they cared they’d have him go to ‘reparative therapy’ and turn straight!
Eh, I don’t think it would have been that shocking. The Big 12 DPOY, Jackson Jeffcoat, went undrafted, and he was projected as a 3rd round pick. He also was a tweener defensive end. First Team All-SEC DT, Kelcy Quarles went undrafted. There have been Heisman trophy winning players not drafted; in fact the guy who finished 3rd in the Heisman voting this year went undrafted. The NFL is a different game than college. Whether it is QBs who play in different offensive systems than are used in the NFL or undersized lineman, there are always guys with big time college resumes who don’t make it in the NFL.
I know it’s moot at this point, but I think it was in the NFL’s best interest to draft him given that they are a business, and him being part of the league is good for business. Yes, sports are the closest industries to ideal meritocracies, but so much of it is still subjective and circumstantial that I don’t think making space for one (seemingly marginal) guy is that big a deal given the obvious upside.
So since Micheal’s now part of an NFL team, any guesses as to how long before other gay players come out of the closet?
I would imagine there are plenty of gay athletes who are out to their teams and peers, but not the public. Even Sam was out to his teammates long before he went public. I don’t know if him being out publicly, and subjecting himself to the scrutiny a media spotlight, will convince many others to do the same if they weren’t inclined to do it already. Especially since we don’t yet know how all of this will pan out.
He hasn’t made the team yet, he was drafted. Lots of drafted players never play a down in the NFL. It’s better than not being drafted (for the most part) but making the team is probably a much better guidepost.
I, for one, would call them gutless.
No, it doesn’t. It’s a subjective measure, but every team does indeed make it and expresses it on their draft board.
Sam hasn’t made the team, and he has some major obstacles in his way: Robert Quinn and Chris Long. The Rams are reasonably set for defensive ends: Quinn was a first round draft pick in 2011 and Long was a first round draft pick in his year (2007?). And on the bench, they have a number of backups whose names I can’t recall.
In other words, the Rams have some depth in the position.
Still, the guy was SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He certainly has the potential. He just needs to bulk up.
I think all this tweener stuff is talked up too much. There are plenty of linebackers in the NFL who are no faster than Sam
The last 10 SEC DPOTYs have been first- or second-round picks, and nobody in the Big 12 plays defense.
Well, then good reason to not pick Michael Sam then since his first three years at Missouri were in the Big 12.
Except when Missouri played in the SEC, he was co-Defensive Player of the Year, so there’s that. I understand that the professional leagues are always infatuated with guys who have great measurables and get nervous around smaller player who may have peaked in college against competition and who may not have top-tier athleticism. And he did himself no favors at the combine or the other meat-market events. Taking it all together I find it hard to believe he didn’t hurt himself a bit just by coming out.
A 4.9 40 is really slow for a linebacker, particularly an Outside one.
How many Outside LBs have 40s that low?
My understanding is not many.
That said, he could make a good special teams player.
It’s not a huge shock, but the Tea Party Nation says they believe Sam kissing his boyfriend was a ‘scripted moment’ and obviously staged to push an agenda. It of course couldn’t possibly be that he had just received what was probably the biggest news of his life and reacted by embracing the person he loves.
Who cares what they think, though?