Perhaps the NFL will now see what many of us have known for years: there is a huge amount of disposable wealth in the gay community and they are not afraid to spend it where they want to.
Smart marketers know this. Let’s see if the trogodytes in the NFL front offices finally figure out that inclusion versus exclusion will net them far more in the long run.
In the meantime I wish Sam nothing but the best and hope he does well in training camp. He’s going to have to be twice as good as anyone else for some people to finally take him seriously.
Actually, he’s not the NFL’s first gay player yet. As of now, he’s the first openly gay player to be drafed by an NFL team. He still has to make the team and get on the field to be the NFL’s first gay player. I hope he makes it, but if he does, he’ll always be the first openly gay player in the NFL, just as Jackie Robinson will always be the first black player in major league baseball. It’s a sports milestone and no matter how tired of it he may get, it’s something he will always be. What I hope is that it will become a commonplace and that it will soon not only be accepted but not even a cause for comment.
This is a monumental milestone in the struggle for equality for all. Shades of Jackie Robinson. That story worked out great–in the end. Let’s hope Michael Sams has a warmer welcome than Jackie received.
One of the groups up in arms over the recognition of homosexuals as equal humans was planning a boycott, to make drafting Sam a financial mistake. One of the specific things mentioned was buying team jerseys.
Sam is actually a really good pass rusher, probably better than the 2 Rams currently playing that position. His problem is run D because he’s a little bit small.
He needs to immediately work hard and get about 40 lbs bigger without losing his “dip and rip” pass rush explosiveness.
So the St. Louis Rams and the NFL get to make a whole bunch of money selling jerseys for over $100 that were made in a sweat shop for 15 cents because an openly gay kid got drafted in the 7th round. And everyone cheers. Love this country.
