One Gutsy Player and 314 Million Side Judges

Michael Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of The Year, is gay. The kind of gay where you are attracted to people of your same gender. Being gay is an absolute deal breaker when it comes to procreating with your partner, but other than that, I don't think it actually prevents anyone from doing anything else.
It certainly didn't prevent him from being a beast in the toughest conference in modern college football.
Other than injury,only people's perceptions and biases can prevent Michael Sam from having an equal chance at being a successful NFL player.

                                            Defensive players don't usually signal first down
                                                        but this guy converted a key one.

By all accounts, the University of Missouri locker room was a cohesive and supportive one this year, and they had a lot of success on the field after Michael came out to them prior to the season.
I have not read or listened to all the opinions out there on the subject of Michael Sam --you couldn't if you wanted to-- coming out to everyone prior to the draft, but I know they come from more angles than a game of Jenga at MC Escher's house.
And one of them that has been voiced is this: An NFL locker room is not ready to accept a gay player.
So, a college locker room was capable of handling it; kids just out of high school, away from home for the first time who ostensibly have to study, go to class, self motivate just to get out of bed, explore their own sexuality (which is, in fact, a great motivator to wake up in the morning)…they can handle it, but a bunch of guys who only have to play football and not crash their Bentley are not gonna be able to handle the sexual orientation of a teammate ??
My first bet of the 2014/15 pro football season is that they can, but if they can't that's almost dumber than crossing against the light when Donte Stallworth is driving hammered. Stallworth thinks that if a team can't handle a gay player and still win, they already have existing problems with their business.
And that's what the NFL is: A business. A football player's job is to perform to the best of his ability on the field, and do everything he can off the field to make sure he is in top physical condition. There is nothing about Michael Sam's sexuality to suggest he won't be able to do those things. There is certainly nothing in his highlight reel to suggest he won't be able to do those things.
So why are we talking about it ?
I have heard people ask that question. I don't have an answer to that question other than to say that in every other area of life Americans have been able to accept gay people and professional team sports seems to be the last frontier. I've always found it immensely hypocritical that people are perfectly okay watching their kids in the stadium rocking out to YMCA and We Are The Champions but refusing to accept some guy on the team in form fitting pants with a drawing of a teal and purple bird on his oversized shirt being gay. It's selective prejudice, and it's stupid.

If you have a problem with gay people, that's your thing and I can't change your mind. But remember this: Dozens of politicians have begged Americans to vote for them, parading their wife and kids in front of every camera, and assuring you that they were watchdogs of  "traditional family values"and "Old Glory" only to get caught being the gatekeeper of the glory hole in the men's room of a Family Dollar*.

You don't have to vote for Michael Sam, you don't even have to cheer for Michael Sam (betcha anything ya do if your favorite team drafts him and and the 3 letters you see next to his name most often are TFL and not GAY). But you have to give him credit for this: He never lied to you about what he is.
And he gave you an early start if your kid ever asks you what's really so fun about staying at the YMCA.



*These clowns are not to be confused with people such as Elaine Noble and Barney Frank, who won elections running as open members of the LGBT community.