February 14, 2014 6:24 AM

The problem isn't Michael Sam; it's the hypocritical troglodytes in the NFL

MY NEW HERO

Dale Hansen

A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.

  • Mahatma Gandhi

I suppose it’s a good thing that Michael Sam’s been a trending topic of late. If nothing else, it’s forced many to confront conflicting beliefs. The idea that a talented, ferocious football player can be gay seems to be enough to cause some heads to explode. Is there any reason that should be the case? Of course not, but it’s just another prejudicial hurdle we as a society need to find a way to leap over.

Not so long ago, the idea of an African-American quarterback seemed beyond the pale. The prevailing theory held that they lacked the leadership skills, the analytical ability, the arm strength, the accuracy, and/or the toughness to lead an NFL offense. Then came Doug Williams, and the idea of a black quarterback gradually began to become more comfortable and possible. There was never a legitimate reason a black man couldn’t have been an NFL quarterback prior to that- except for our collective prejudice and unwillingness to accept such a “radical” idea.

The point that Dale Hansen makes is a valid and honest one. The NFL has no problem with drug abusers, wife beaters, racists, dog killers, and other miscreants who happen to be talented and of value to a team…but love another man and THAT’S something that many just aren’t comfortable with. I’d flog the hypocrisy, but it’s self-evident enough that there’s really no need. The truth is that a gay man in an NFL locker room will be a distraction only insofar as players and coaches allow it to be. If a team drafts Sam and makes it clear he’s welcome and will be treated the same as any other player trying to earn a roster spot, odds are that Michael Sam’s presence will be a nonevent.

Hansen’s correct in wondering how the Defensive Player of the Year in college football’s preeminent conference is viewed as a potential third- to fifth-round draft choice? If Sam hadn’t come out of the closet, draft experts would likely be trumpeting his as potential early first-round material. So, should we assume that the explanation for the diminished estimations of his draft worthiness lies with his sexuality? I don’t think I need to expand on that.

Until now, no one outside of Sam’s teammates at the University of Missouri knew of his sexuality. He had a transcendent season, including being selected as the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Year. Sam came out to his teammates LAST SUMMER…and while I suspect some may have been at least mildly uncomfortable with a gay man sharing there locker, to a man they had his back. I’ve listened to interviews with a couple of his teammates who made it clear that Sam’s sexuality was a nonissue. What they cared about was that he was a good person and teammate, which by all indications he certainly was is and was.

If a NCAA Football Bowl Series college football team can play an entire season knowing a gay man was sharing their locker room, then surely an NFL team can do the same. Prejudice is a matter of choice and education. If you were taught that being gay is dirty, evil, and icky, that can be overcome. If you learned to hate, you can learn to love. It’s a matter of choosing to love and accept a person for who they are, instead of focusing on who and how they love.

Michael Sam is not the problem. He simply decided he wanted to be honest about who he is in order that he might lead a life of integrity instead of caving into to prejudice and fear. The problem lies within the homophobic culture of the NFL, which really needs to do a better job of owning up to their collective bias. By all indications, the ONLY thing “different” about Michael Sam the person is his sexuality; Michael Sam the football player would be a welcome addition to most any NFL defense. You’d think that a league which tolerates drug abusers, wife beaters, killers, and alcoholics would recognize and own up to their hypocrisy.

I admire Dale Hansen for pointing out the NFL’s double standard when it comes to personal conduct. That he would do so while working for a TV station in Dallas is no small act of courage. Texas is not exactly the most gay-friendly of environs; to say that homophobia is rampant in the Lone Star State would be something of an understatement. At least Hansen recognizes and owns that his is not to cast judgment on a football player merely because of his sexuality. He may not understand Michael Sam’s world…but he recognizes that he doesn’t have to. All he needs to do is accept Sam as a person and a football player.

That should be enough for any of us.

On this Valentine’s Day, it seems we should be less concerned with who and/or how a football player loves. We should be celebrating that he does love…because Lord knows we can never have too much of that.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 14, 2014 6:24 AM.

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