Michael Sam, former Missouri defensive end and current NFL draft prospect, is about to redefine “gay” by becoming the first openly gay American football player. The kneejerk reaction might be: “So what?” especially at Yale, one of the most inclusive places on the planet, where coming out has become almost mundane. But Sunday’s announcement by Sam is huge.
If drafted (projections place him anywhere from the 3rd to 5th round), Sam will join the elite world of crushing tackles, wings and beer, and the extreme of traditional “manliness.” If a gay man can make it in the NFL, on and off the field, one of the last glass ceilings for gays in America will be broken and society will take a massive, progressive step forward. Sam can prove that “gay” is no longer synonymous only with good fashion sense and sassy comments. Gay characters won’t just be seen as the GBF of romantic comedies or on reruns of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy; we’ll watch them on NFL Sundays. Sam could help redefine what being gay means to the American public and begin to dissipate the homophobia surrounding male professional sports.
What’s encouraging about Sam’s potential as a trailblazer is how he and those closest to him have handled everything so far. Sam hails from a small Texas town, and played four years of college football at Mizzou. Many of his teammates and coaches knew of his sexuality before Sam came out, but none broke the story, instead opting to let their team captain approach his sexuality on his terms. Proponents of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell often argued that open homosexuality would serve as a distraction among a company of men; Michael Sam’s sexuality was such a distracting locker room issue that the co-SEC defensive player of the year led the Missouri Tigers to a surprise 1st place finish in the SEC East. (Side note: As a fan of Kentucky, a Missouri SEC East rival, I can tell you this: the guy can really play.) Doing all that in a state where 40 people of people still voted for Tea Party conservative Todd Akin (he of “legitimate rape” infamy) is truly something.
So far, nothing but support has come in for Michael Sam. The President, First Lady, Vice-President, the NFL, the NFL Player’s Union, and various players and commentators have congratulated Sam on his bravery and seemingly welcomed him into the NFL. However, the fight isn’t over yet. Nor will it be over on May 8th, when the NFL draft begins. It will only be over when news that a top NFL prospect is gay isn’t news at all.