Michael Sam Reactions

Let me ask you a question. When did tolerance and acceptance become such a bad thing? 

On Saturday, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted in to the NFL and professional sports in general. Since Sam came out publicly, the media has given us a healthy dose of coverage. So much so that to many, it potentially bordered on too much. But let me rephrase the my first question. How does something positive, inspiring, and revolutionary hurt the multi billion dollar company? 

Welcome to America, home of the free. Except for the fact that we're still fighting for equal human rights. Guys, that's so 1862 of you. 

Recently I came into an a discussion about whether or not athletes should have to be in support of this. Many have come out and said, if their team drafted Michael Sam he would be treated like any other player. In fact, that's what most teams have said. The Miami Dolphins made headlines last season for their scandal surrounding Jonathan Martin, Richie Incognito, and bullying within the organization. On Sunday, they made headlines again, this time for fining and banning safety Don Jones for his comments reacting to Sam's response to being drafted. 

After tweeting "OMG" and "Horrible" seconds after Sam being drafted, Jones later said in a team issued statement: "I want to apologize to Michael Sam for the inappropriate comments that I made last night on social media. I take full responsibility for them and I regret that these tweets took away from his draft moment. I remember last year when I was drafted in the seventh round and all of the emotions and happiness I felt when I received the call that gave me an opportunity to play for an NFL team and I wish him all the best in his NFL career."

My inspiration for writing this today came from a basketball player who I once considered to be inspirational, in a different way, himself. 

Marshall Henderson probably won't make it to the NBA. But he probably will have a lot of opportunities over seas. He is an exceptionally talented player. An inspirational one. He's been the face of controversy for the Ole Miss program for a couple of seasons, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and that is what's admirable. Today he tweeted a lot of stuff. I wasn't sure what to make of it. I just knew I disagreed on many fronts. At first I thought: "you see Marshall, Sportscenter didn't show that video to warp your impressionable brothers minds, they showed it to open them. A lot people in the world are different, a lot of them are gay. Breaking news guys, it isn't contagious."A lot of people have felt the need to claim this argument as their own defense for being intolerant and inconsiderate towards Michael Sam and the very liberties and freedoms we all share. It's a stupid argument guys. Good parenting and role models triumph over two minute Sportscenter clips, I promise you. But later on I thought about how maybe I was wrong. About how maybe I was just as quick to pass judgement on his tweets and his thoughts and feelings the same exact way he is doing about Sam. It's called hypocrisy. 

The greater question in this whole situation is, who really is wrong? Is Marshall Henderson wrong for what he tweeted? Is Michael Sam wrong for being gay? Or are the thousands of people who felt the need to take precious time out of their day to harass and pass the same judgement back on Henderson wrong? 

This is what Henderson tweeted after about an hour. 

The tweets ended up being an experiment Henderson was playing to help his openly gay friend complete a research project. His tweets helped me come to a conclusion I've been searching for since I began critically thinking about this entire situation.

I am not gay.

And frankly, I'm glad I'm not. Not because the fact that being intimate with another man would be 'gross,' but because so many of you out there are the ones who are gross. The people who spew hatred surrounding a man living out his boyhood dream of making it to the NFL are the ones who are gross. But hey, just as I'm entitled to my beliefs you're entitled to yours right? Here's the thing about opinions though, sometimes they're wrong. Sometimes, an opinion is wrong. If you're one of the people who watches this video and sees anything other then a man's climactic journey from Galveston Texas pee-wee football to the biggest stage of them all, I understand. It doesn't make me think less of you because frankly, I wouldn't want to be thought less of by you for my stance on the issue. Trying to change you and/or your beliefs isn't something I can do. In fact, it sounds exhausting. Some of you who see this worry about your young kids, and how it might influence them or taint their innocent minds. I suppose I see where you're coming from. But what if maybe you're the one tainting your child's mind? What if you're crossing a line between trying to protect your kid, and showing them that tolerance and acceptance is a bad thing? 

All in all, Michael Sam should not be celebrated because he is the first openly gay athlete to be drafted in to professional sports. Michael Sam should be admired for his bravery, and celebrated for his skill set, and play on the field. 

Sorry for the controversial topic. But I hope we can all agree in hoping that someday we can live in a world where these issues don't matter and all people are considered equal. If you don't agree with that, well that's really 1862 of you as well.