I want to get to a point, but more on that later. First, I want to congratulate Michael Sam on his announcement that he’s a gay football player. This spring, the defensive end from Missouri, who was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, will enter the NFL draft as the first openly gay player in the sport. And he’ll be drafted, too. This is a profoundly brave and self-aware thing for him to do, and in many ways, it’s remarkable that a rookie will lead the way. We already know of a great list of former gay athletes in major sports, and by just playing the statistics, we know there’s a very, very good chance there are currently gay players in the NFL, not to mention MLB, NHL, NBA, and so on and so forth. The only difference is they’re not out in the open. Michael Sam now is. This is in no way an indictment on them, but in the same vein, it speaks volumes to the bravery of Sam to make this announcement before he collects his first paycheck. Not that it should matter. Michael Sam has no more say in who he finds attractive than you or I, so stating as much should be received similarly to Tom Brady holding a press conference to say, “Hey guys, big news, I like women.” While Tom’s statement may look trivial, really, what’s the difference? Just let people be, man. It’s all so simple! Only it’s not. Michael Sam will have to deal with potential homophobes like Jonathan Vilma, he’ll have to deal with misinformed morons hiding behind a bible (ignore the fact Jesus never said anything about homosexuality), and he’ll have to deal with all the unforeseen problems pioneers face. This is all because of a bible-thumping, science-defying subculture that has permeated into sports. Michael Sam being gay shouldn’t be a big story. But it is. And it has more to do with the culture of football and its reticence to adapt to changing times.
Even though it’s 2014, when the story broke yesterday, it was met with negative reactions within the league that will most likely make Michael Sam’s NFL journey an arduous one. Look to the Sports Illustrated article that polled eight NFL executives regarding the news on Michael Sam. Forget, for a moment, the laughable bifurcation between Michael Sam coming out, and these clowns staying anonymous. Forget, if you can, the bravery of a gay man coming out before he gets drafted, while straight men already in the NFL hide like cowards. Now realize what they had to say was deflating, if not sobering. One NFL player personnel assistant said, “I don’t think football is ready for an openly gay NFL player just yet.” Only this is a tired, lazy argument that implies adults aren’t capable of being tolerant regarding another teammate. It also ignores history, since we know Vince Lombardi accepted gay players on his team. I’d interject with a simple follow-up question: When will football be ready? The answer is never. Or right now. It depends on who you ask. I fall into the latter category, not just because I think it’s ready, but I also understand that “ready” is a state of being that cannot be changed until it already is. By introducing a gay player, you are effectively enacting change to make the NFL prepared for such an experience. You force the hands of executives and players alike to deal with a situation that otherwise would be avoided altogether. This is a good thing. You cannot be ready for this kind of thing any other way.
A veteran NFL scout in the article said, “I just know with this going on, this is going to drop him down [in the draft],” while an NFL assistant coach said, “It’s going to be a big distraction. That’s the reality. It shouldn’t be, but it will be.” Whether this drops him in the draft remains to be seen, and frankly, if true, it speaks more to the inability of teams to handle change than any kind of condemnation on Michaeal Sam’s abilities. As far as distractions go, however, this is pure nonsense. Consider this: Missouri was 5-7 in 2012. After Sam came out to his team prior to last year’s season, they went 12-2, and were title contenders late into the year. An even deeper analysis reflects more on the hierarchy of our own prejudices. For instance, would being gay be more of a distraction than, say, being a rapist? What about someone convicted of sexual assault? What about someone convicted of a violent felony? Yet somehow, the NFL (and, to be fair, other sports too) has willfully accepted these types of players into their fold time and time again. That’s tacit admission of criminal behavior being more accepted than homosexuality. It’s deplorable to think we’re at a place now where sex offenders and felons are more accepted than gay athletes.
Which brings me back to my original thought: I want to get to a point. I want to get to a point where a gay athlete declaring he or she is gay isn’t news. Where, upon announcement, anyone listening simply shrugs their shoulders and says, “Yeah, alright.” Or, better yet, the announcement would be met with strange looks as if a woman just held a press conference to say she voted, or a black man said he ate dinner with a white man in a restaurant. I want to get to a point where someone being gay is so benign, so innocuous, that everyone just says, “So what? Who cares?” And we all go about our days. We’re not there yet, of course, but perhaps we should look to the University of Missouri for guidance. They didn’t care about Michael Sam being gay. He came out to his team prior to the season—the coaching staff, the players, the trainers, everyone. In fact, reports claim it was an open secret on campus. Yet, even though Sam reportedly told his team that they can do whatever they want with the information, none of them—not a single individual—leaked the story. Why? Because they didn’t care. It wasn’t life-altering news to them. It didn’t affect them. Michael Sam was a football player, a teammate, a student. Who was anyone at the university to tell him whom he should love? In this way, the University of Missouri created the perfect template for the NFL to follow.
True tolerance isn’t accepting things you already understand, it’s accepting those you don’t. I’d like to think Michael Sam’s NFL experience will be full people who understand this, but that’s probably wishful thinking, if not naïve. The first person through the wall always gets a bloody nose, and although I believe Michael Sam is ready for it, I don’t have any illusions about how challenging the days ahead will be. Because of his actions, however, maybe many years from now, we’ll all collectively be able to shrug our shoulders the next time a gay athlete comes out.
Wouldn’t that be a great point to get to?
A Pleasant Conversation 