Not sure why the Sam thread is in the Jets forum, unless someone knows something I don't . Anyhow, I have a feeling that not all people are being honest , so put up a poll (anonymous)
Ill be honest, i would not like to have a gay player on the Jets (atleast not the first one) With that being said i have no issues with gay ppl, i think gay ppl should be able to be gay and get married or w/e, as long as your not hurting others, to each his own.... with that being said, Im a Jets fan! and i want whats best for my team..... and the spotlight and drama that would come with having an openly gay player on the Jets is an issue i dont think would be positive for the Jets right now. Im sorry guys, i mean no disrespect, I respect Sam and him announcing to the world and standing up for who he is is honorable and i hope being gay some day can be non issue in the NFL........ BUT it isnt yet, and the Jets need to concentrate and be as drama free as possible right now.... I think Sam should go to a strong locker room that can handle the spotlight and the drama....I wish him the best and im very happy that this process of gays being accepted in the NFL is finally taking steps in the right direction...Id still prefer he not be on the Jets.
I have no problem with the Jets having a gay player as long as the guy can actually PLAY FOOTBALL. By that I mean, the guy has to be good at his position. Not some boarder line JAG who's claim to fame is that he came out of the closet. I want a future Hall of Famer or at least a solid 10 Year starter. If this guy can't do that, then he's not worth the drama and the distraction that will be caused by the media. One other thing, the guy MUST have a VERY THICK SKIN. I can only imagine the comments that will fly not only on the field but from the stands, especially from opposing fans. Imagine the abuse that will rain down on this person if/when he has to play in Oakland and venture into "The Black Hole." The amount of verbal abuse that this guy is going to take is going to be unreal.
I couldn't care less who they sleep with as long as they help the Jets win. I would find it annoying if they were in your face flamboyant about it but just the fact that they like the cock doesn't bother me one bit. Now if I had to shower with them, that would probably bother me.
I couldn't care less if someone was gay as long as they are able to contribute to wins. My issue is more if he isn't that good of a football player and he gets a reduced snap count, benched or even cut people are going to say it's because he's gay and the coaches/management/players are all homophobic. Basically anything negative is going to be portrayed as it being because he's gay, at least for the first ever openly gay player. If there were 50 guys in the league all openly gay then that's a different story but for the first guy I think it's going to be the focal point. Maybe I'm wrong but that's how I think it will be portrayed. So, yeah, all for it if he's going to be a solid contributor to the team but if there is questions about his work ethic, if he's a project player in any sense or there are any indications he may not cut it at the NFL level from an athletic point of view then I would probably be more cautious with drafting them.
The Jets have already had gay players on the team. Every NFL team has had gay players on the team at one point or another. Based on the demographics in play in America right now the odds are that every NFL team has one or more gay players on the roster right now. The thing I hated about Sams coming out was not that he was gay, which I don't give a hoot about one way or the other, but that now we would wind up talking about gay rights and the NFL all off-season instead of talking about who was going to win the Super Bowl next year and how our team was going to do. I am grateful for one thing though, at least the issue will be exhausted by the time the Jets are at the top of the heap. I'd hate to have their Super Bowl season turn into a big issue like this and the spotlight taken off of them in the process.
I would have a problem with two teammates being in a relationship. That would cause drama and discomfort. Other than that who cares.
No, but do you disagree it would be awkward? All I can think of is what would be going on in my head before and after showering with all the girls if I was so lucky.
No not really as I've already experienced this. I played 13 years knowing one of my team mates was gay, it wasn't common knowledge either. We weren't really that good mates but good team mates , both D players. Like Sam he was also black, not that should make any difference and built like the proverbial brick outhouse, he always joked that if he wanted me he'd just take me in the showers and it was a running joke for years, at no point did I EVER think my butt-hole was in danger. Great bloke and player. On the flip-side, whilst in college (18 years old) I was doing a theater arts course which involved all aspects, set design, costume, scripts, make-up and of course acting , which meant quite often that me an 4 other fortunate lads got changed in the same room as some of the most gorgeous girls in college, THAT was actually more uncomfortable as at any minute I could easily have got a stiffy and in some cases (if I cast my mind back) think I was fairly close.
Meh - I wouldn't be scared, I just think it would be awkward knowing some dude in the showers is really exciting to be showering wit a bunch of other dudes.
That's the point though, he very well might have some attraction to another team mate but would know the parameters and ramifications of what the consequences would be.
Not nearly as annoying as prima donna players like Terrell Owens. As for players bothered by other players showering with them and their sexuality, that just sounds like they have some unresolved emotional/sexual identity issues to confront. Are you arguing that NFL players feel comfortable showering in front of teammates who are probably gay but not known for certain because they're in the closet? Are homophobes really less comfortable around people out of the closet?
Some people don't realize that 1) human rights are infinitely more important than sports [comparing the two is almost insulting to the former] and 2) one of the painful (to some) ways to undo centuries of discrimination is to talk about the issue. What many football fans don't realize is that when the "color barrier" or "gay barrier" is broken, it's not the black or gay person's fault that a barrier was there to begin with. Nor is it their fault that the media likes to turn a turnip into a story if it seems interesting.
There's no doubt in my mind that bigotry will cause Michael's Sam's draft value to drop slightly. If he wasn't another DL player I'd want the Jets to draft him for the value of it. Or we could just keep adding to the DL until they are unstoppable.
I'm saying that I would personally find it awkward showering with a fag. I am not projecting my thoughts on anyone, just giving my own perspective. If that makes me a homophobe or whatever so be it.
Not necessarily, but your unsolicited and inappropriate of the word "fag" leads me to believe that you're at least slightly turned-on by men.