Sheldon Richardson was the roommate of Michael Sam. http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/20..._for_former_college_teammate_michael_sam.html
Can the kid play or not that is all that matters. If you think he will be the first NFL player to be a known homosexual in an NFL locker room you are very naive.
Obviously - who knows how many of these guys are on the down low. The difference here is the other guys in the shower will know he's into guys, so there could be some awkwardness & resentment depending on how the teammates view gays
We also don't need to know about Dez Bryant's mom. Thanks, NFL. But you do have a point, society must progress to the point where sexuality isn't used to discriminate. Until then we'll have to keep dealing with annoying homophobes.
Serious question: is off-the-field activism really a bad thing, or is the media distraction aspect that great of a determinant?
I'd argue that they were treated worse, and that homophobic blacks are extremely hypocritical against gays' efforts for equality. Either let both or neither marry.
This. F*ck the NFL for making me learn about someone's personal life! There have always been black athletes, but they didn't need to "come out". Seriously though homophobes (many of which become aroused by homosexuality) are deep in the closet. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/homophobic-maybe-youre-gay.html But that's none of my business, nor do I want you to "come out". Gross.
well, if its only a perversion then i guess technically you could do gay stuff and still not call yourself gay or something basically though, if you really think that people can just decide to like one or the other, and if you yourself as a man have decided to like girls instead of boys, you are just gay. theres no if's and's or, well, there are definitely some butts about it :breakdance:
If your logic were correct then an openly gay NFL player would've come out 10 years ago. People don't realize that, historically, political views haven't progressed as rapidly as they have in the 2000s (technology explaining that partially). Majority support for homosexual RELATIONS (not even marriage but the act itself) didn't have majority support (51%) until 2000 according to Gallup. Gay marriage didn't have majority support until 2011. To act as though support from less than 2/3 of the country amounts to "overwhelming" support ignores the issue entirely. For example less people consider themselves Tea Party than anti-gay, so, given how much noise distraction attention and influence the Tea Party garners, one can easily realize that the anti-gay crowd isn't an insignificant minority (although they deserve to be treated as such).
Everyone knows that sexuality isn't chosen and that the Kinsey scale explains degrees of heterosexuality/bisexuality/homosexuality. Try to explain the complexities of football and nobody bats an eye. Tell people that sexuality is more than black or white and everyone loses their minds...
I'm with JetBlue on this one. It's nothing but win-win for this kid. Everything was lined up overwhelmingly in the media and all in culture for him to take advantage. I'm indifferent to it, I think most everyone is at least that. I don't find him courageous either, sorry I don't. He's not having some great obstacles to overcome - he's just being who he is and most don't care or are in his corner. They are comparing him to Jackie Robinson - this situation is NOTHING like what Jackie Robinson had to go through and it's almost disrespectful to say that as Robinson risked his damn life.
I agree that it is not at all like Jackie Robinson and maybe courageous isn't the right word but it did take some degree of guts. People have to realize that the players probably don't really care what the media thinks, positive or negative, their world is more about their teammates, coaches, opponents, etc. I don't think they even really care what the fans say or think, but that's just me. So while the general populace and the media aren't going to come out and rip him apart for being gay because they'd be tarred and feathered for doing so an individual teammate/coach/FO staffer could be saying or doing things, treating them differently on a day to day basis. That's the part that takes guts. I don't know what it is like to be in a modern day football locker room, maybe it's very forgiving for this kind of stuff but if it was wouldn't someone else have come out by now? If everything was peachy-keen with no potential negative side effects why wouldn't someone have come out to take advantage of this glorious opportunity that some people are indicating Sam had? Wouldn't gay NFLers (and they do exist) be lining up around the block to be the first one to make the announcement? To me, reading between the lines, it indicates to me that there is a reason no NFL player has come out yet. It indicates that it isn't all just media perception and how the fans will react. It indicates that the culture in the locker room isn't the same as by the water cooler at an office job. I still think it took guts to do what he did because 1) he didn't have to say anything to anyone and risk being treated differently and 2) because if it wasn't something scary he wouldn't be the first to have done it.
Standing in front of the media and being the first player to say "I'm gay" takes a lot of courage IMO. It's not to the level of Jackie Robinson, but it's not insignificant. He's going to have a lot of demands from the gay community, and he's going to have a lot of bigots who want him to fail. That is a lot of added pressure to what is already a stressful ordeal for a college kid hoping to get drafted, make a team, and succeed in the NFL. I, for one, will be rooting for him and I hope the media leaves him alone enough so he can go about his on the field business.
Its funny, you would think the hardest part would be admitting to your immature 17 year old college team mates, but no it looks like the 'adults' are the ones who have the issues.
no, that is the opposite of my logic. simply looking at gay marriage which is the most visible homosexual plight, support for gay marriage has risen from 32% nine years ago to 58% in 2013. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fullpage/poll-shows-growing-support-gay-marriage-18757411 clearly the environment, opinions and SUPPORT towards homosexuality is different now than 10 years ago. there is nothing to validate your position that if I believe the environment and support today makes is easy for homosexuals to announce their preference than it should have meant it would be just as easy ten years ago. data opposes that position clearly. considering how much support the media, the league and the players association has thrown behind him, not a single player or coach is going to even attempt to create a harassing, homophobic environment. just the accusation alone will end their careers. the media will attack the story, and the league will punish it the highest extent simply because of the publicity. this kid isn't going to face any significant homophobic backlash by anyone, and rightfully so. everything is lined up for him that whatever the environment may have been in the past will be completely curbed. you can guarantee there will be a league wide memo sent to every player, coach and employee, if it hasn't already been done, telling them as much.
