I'm glad cuz it would be Michael Sam 24/7 if it was us, and the less I hear about that the happier I am, the media has already beaten it to death, let it alone,let the events play out as they should not the way the camera's and the Hawthorn Effect alter them.
On the Herd a poster put up a poll and asked which rookie if any had anyone "connected" with. He removed the easy calls with the first two picks.
I chose Sam. Joyner ran away with the poll by more than
triple the votes of the next player! He's a fave for sure.
I'm pulling for Sam
big time. And those who have known me for a long time know that I'm not pro or anti gay, though I am open about the fact that I am not an advocate of gay marriage. I've never been able to bring myself to care about homosexuality enough to really have many feelings about it. You may as well ask me my feelings about corn farming.
This was what I wrote when I posted that I was pulling for Sam.
He has to overcome being considered for the best defensive unit in the NFL, probably having to play special teams which he hasn't had to do I'm sure, he's a late 7th rounder which is already a lot to overcome. Plus every gay person who follows sports or doesn't follow sports in the civilized world will have at least one eye on this story as it unfolds and that is going to bring pressure. And all along the way a lot of people are going to say a lot of really terrible things to him that he will have done nothing to deserve.
There's pressure. Not Jackie Robinson pressure, nothing could match that in our society today. But while it doesn't stand up to that comparison neither does it pale in comparison. This is a big deal, and while it is off the radar for the most part right now now, it won't be when he makes the team, and then plays. The first time he goes onto the field in a game is a video clip that will be played worldwide.
He knows all this of course. So he's my guy. I'm not gay, I'm not even all that OK with gay marriage, but I am "connected" to this youngster because I want him to succeed and shut up the idiots who are going to be vile about his presence in the sport.
But......
I agree with TD here, had it been Hard Knocks it would have been tilted way to much onto Sam. Most of the nation would get sick of that, and I would too even though I wouldn't watch the show much if at all. The pull to dial it towards Sam would have been to big of a lure and how that would effect everything else in camp with the rookies and vets is a big enough question mark that I'm glad it's not the Rams problem. This is going to be enough to manage, and I think Fisher and Snead have done it well to date, without the fucking cameras and lights in his face all the time.
My feeling is "why take the chance, too many things are falling into place, why shake the tree".