Opinion

Michael Sam’s coming out brought bigots out of the closet

It’s hard to miss some of the world’s reactions this year to the 2014 Winter Olympics being held in Sochi. From rings that didn’t open during the opening ceremony to incomplete hotels causing a Twitter sensation, it’s hard to believe one of the biggest issues the world is having with Sochi doesn’t have to do with either problem — it’s Russia’s homophobia. Germany wore rainbow-colored uniforms to the opening ceremony, making it hard to believe that those multi-colored uniforms weren’t political messages.

But the same Sochi message is right here in America, and it’s right in the middle of its most beloved sport: football.

Michael Sam, the Southeastern Conference’s defensive player of the year, has come out as the first openly gay NFL draft prospect. But the choice to come out has been met with some resistance as well as support.

A Sports Illustrated article interviewing NFL personnel gave anonymous quotes, such as, “I don’t think football is ready for (an openly gay player) just yet.” Another one read, “It would chemically imbalance an NFL locker room.”

As Texas Monthly’s Dan Solomon wrote, it doesn’t really matter whether NFL personnel are ready for a gay player.

According to ESPN sportswriter Jason Whitlock, football is already playing catch-up in the “American battle for social justice.” Whitlock, via ESPN, followed up with the same general theme as Solomon in his article when he wrote that “our debate regarding homosexuality and tolerance has been settled. We’re a nation that is now firmly and permanently pro-gay marriage.”

I guess he hasn’t read much Sports Illustrated. Yet most people forget that Sam’s football career — including leading the University of Missouri Tigers to 11 regular-season game wins, playing in the SEC Championship and finishing the season as fifth in the nation — was completed while almost no one of serious importance knew he was homosexual.

That is, besides his teammates.

That’s right. Sam came out to his teammates that he was homosexual last season, as Missouri seized 12 wins. It doesn’t seem like his being homosexual bothered the “chemical balance” enough to hurt the team’s winning record.

According to a Sports Illustrated article on Monday, if one were to examine his “SEC-best (with) 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss,” one would “see a high-motor pass rusher who could go as high as the third round.”

But his skills in football may be in jeopardy now that he has come out. Just look at NBA player Jason Collins, who came out as homosexual last year and hasn’t been able to land even a 10-day contract with anyone.

Careers aside, Collins and Sam met only a few days before Sam came out. Collins tweeted about the “tremendous courage” he saw in Sam and said whatever team chose to pick the six foot two player would be “lucky.”

Sam’s sexual orientation doesn’t matter; he’s a good player and he deserves to play the sport he loves. American sports are known for breaking boundaries. Jackie Robinson is proof of how sports can change prejudices.

Let’s keep that beautiful aspect of sports alive and continue the tradition of players being chosen — or not — for skill and not for any other reason.

Opinion columnist Rachel Lee is an English sophomore and may be reached at [email protected] 

8 Comments

  • Gosh someone needs to look up the definition of the word “bigot”

    Collins did not get a contract because he is an OLD and DONE player. He was playing bad basketball when he came out. Sam was already projected as a 3-6th round pick, which usually means a 3rd down specialist or a back up.. his size and quickness from the edge are a huge issue.. oh and he was co offensive MVP..

    NFL executives saying it would imbalance the locker room does not mean they’re bigots.. they’re saying the truth.. NFL locker rooms belong to the players and they should dictate how they behave..

    This liberal agenda is getting way out of hand.. “free rights for all! only if you agree with us! Lets change everyone viewpoint!”

    And please.. please please. do not compare Sam to Robinson.. Robinson is a legend for what he went through and accomplished.. Was beat up, humiliated, discriminated and rejected in his own locker room..

  • I’ve been called a bigot because I refused sexual advances from gay men. I’m straight, and even if I was gay, I shouldn’t be expected to accept advances from them just because they happen to be gay. This political correctness propaganda is wrong. We’re supposed to tolerate everything that the gay agenda pushes, and if we don’t then we are bigots.

    • On a recent visit to my friends in Austin, I was asked out on a date by a random guy that came out of a well known gay bar. I politely told him that I’m not interested in men(since I’m a straight guy). He got upset and threw his drink on me in a rage saying “You homophobic #@#@hole! You won’t go on on a date with me just because I’ve got a bigger %#@ than you? And you are walking by a gay bar? Get lost!” . …..
      I never felt so humiliated in my life. I wondered if he attacked me and I defended myself, would I be arrested for an anti-gay hate crime.

  • If America is “pro gay marriage” how come every time it’s on a ballot for the VOTERS ( not the bribeable politicians) it is VOTED DOWN.

    If gays demand to be in the same locker room then men deserve to be in the same locker rom with women.

    Or r u going to tell us gays r less sexually motivated than us “breeders”.

  • Must the word bigotry be thrown around whenever people disagree with a lifestyle? Most religious people disagree with the homosexual lifestyle. Yet, many of those same people were involved in hospice and care for the dying homosexual men during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s. Does that make them bigots?

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