If today's topic seems a bit out of date, that's because it is. It's the last one of the three that I've been ignoring during the Olympics that I promised to write about. I already covered Derek Jeter and the Dolphins, which means all I've got left is Michael Sam.
Sam, of course, made news earlier this month when he revealed that he's gay. Jason Collins came out last summer, but this is much different. Collins was a veteran guy at the end of his career. He hasn't played in the NBA since his announcement, and being gay has nothing to do with it. Sam, though, is just at the start of his career. He was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last season at Missouri and is expected to be a very high pick in the NFL Draft. Collins came out at the end of his career. Sam's got his entire career in front of him.
The time has come. Michael Sam is going to be the first openly gay player to be drafted into one of the four major team sports. How the announcement will affect his draft status is unclear. Right after the college season ended, some people were projecting him as a late-1st/early-2nd round pick. Now it looks like he's probably going to go in either the 4th or 5th round. The scouts are saying that it's completely based on his ability and whether or not they think his skills will transfer to the NFL game, but you have to wonder if his sexuality is also coming into play. You've also got to hope that teams aren't going to stay away from him simply because he's gay.
I was having a conversation about this with someone the other day, and they actually suggested that it might've been in Sam's best interest to wait until after the draft. That way, if he slips in the draft, you'd know it's strictly based on ability. His argument, which I kind of see, was that Sam had nothing to gain by making his announcement now. He does have something to lose, however...the amount of money that's the difference between a 2nd round pick and a 4th round pick.
My guess is Michael Sam doesn't care about a couple million dollars he might be leaving on the table. He wanted to be upfront and honest without it ever being a question. And that's something admirable. Michael Sam also knows that it's going to make him a role model to millions. He's fine with that, too. Most of all, he's comfortable in his own skin. That's why he decided to do it now. And that's why I say, "Good for him." He took a risk by making that announcement. He didn't care.
He's also going to be a very interesting test case. America is clearly ready for an openly gay male professional athlete. This is a country where gay marriage is legal and gay rights are always a popular topic for politicians. It's really become no big deal. Just like I think for most people it'll be no big deal that there's a gay guy playing in the NFL. I doubt many people will even care (one way or the other), which I mean as a compliment. Besides, you'd have to be incredibly naïve to think that he's the first. He's probably not even going to be the first that's currently active.
But the question still remains regarding how accepted he'll be in an NFL locker room. After all, we just saw the report about what happened in Miami. At Missouri, his sexuality was an open secret. His teammates all knew and it didn't matter. You'd hope that's the example that NFL teams will follow. Because if it's not, we could end up with another Jonathan Martin situation on our hands.
Hopefully that won't be the case. Hopefully Michael Sam will be accepted as one of the guys in the locker room of whichever NFL team drafts him. And hopefully we'll eventually get to the point where an athlete coming out is a non-story. That would be the true impact of Jason Collins and Michael Sam.
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