I was thinking all week about the direction of my satire column for this year's Sex Issue until something wonderful appeared on my Twitter timeline Sunday evening:
Michael Sam could become the first openly gay player in the NFL.
I know calling something a "monumental moment" is a clich?(c), but you are going to have to forgive me for this one. It's a monumental moments for sports.
This announcement's influence goes far beyond the NFL. Professional athletes are role models - whether they want to be viewed as such or not. Kids all over the world look up to them and give them labels like "hero" and "idol."
Sam acting as a hero goes without saying. It's time for the rest of the league to do so as well.
If NFL players don't want gay athletes in their locker room, it's equivalent to the bullies kicking the "weird kid" out of the sandbox. If their heroes don't want to play with gay people, neither will the kids at school. It's time to set a new precedent.
This situation brought back a personal experience that I am embarrassed about. I remember when rumors about former MLB catcher Mike Piazza being gay surfaced. He was my hero in late elementary school and middle school, and I didn't want my hero to be gay. According to society, that would mean he was somehow less of a man, and therefore I would have been worshipping an inadequate athlete.
Little did I know if Piazza was gay and admitted it, he should have become etched as my hero. But honestly, at that time, I probably would have resented him.
That is the culture Sam can change. The youth of America can learn a lesson from professional athletes like Sam. Athletes are supposed to be heroes. Heroes are supposed to have courage; and this is one of the most courageous things I've seen in a long time.
I didn't have someone I could view as openly gay and a great athlete. I never knew it was possible. And now, my 21-year-old self realizes there is no chance Sam is the only active or soon-to-be active homosexual in the NFL.
It's very difficult to put an exact number on the gay population in the United States, but the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimated that nine million or 3.8 percent of Americans identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, according to a 2011 article on about.com.
Jason Collins became the first openly gay active athlete in the big four professional sports (baseball, basketball, hockey, football) last April. That was a huge day for sports, but this has a different feel to it.
Sam is about to begin his NFL career. Collins was an unknown player for years. Sam is an All-American pass rusher and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year. This is equivalent to a No. 1 pitcher or starting goaltender coming out. Defenses are built around getting to the quarterback, and Sam could be a star in the nation's most popular sport.
Missouri linebacker Donovan Bonner tweeted that the team knew of Sam's status for five years and nobody said a word. I find this to be the most fascinating part of the story. Sam officially came out to his team in August and they accepted him.
Debates all over the country center around how a gay athlete in the NFL could "disturb the culture of the locker room." Players may feel uncomfortable changing around a homosexual or might struggle to truly consider him "one of the guys." Well, the Tigers tore this theory to pieces.
Missouri went 35-17 in the past four seasons, including a 12-2 finish and Cotton Bowl victory this fall. Nobody tweeted anything about Sam. Not a single player or coach mentioned anything to the media. No horror stories emerged about their locker room.
Buffalo's All-Mid-American Conference senior cornerback Najja Johnson tweeted, "Salute to Michael Sam! That takes serious courage!!! #respect," on Sunday night.
I'm not naive. Neither is Sam. Some teams won't draft him because of his sexual orientation. There will be a media circus surrounding him as he enters training camp and begins the season.
It's not an ideal situation for an NFL team. More cameras usually bring more headaches. Coaches don't like headaches.
Coaches do love winning, however, and the bottom line is if Sam can help a team win, he will have a contract.
He's been discussed as the "perfect candidate" to be the first openly gay NFL player. I see it. A big, educated, All-American, black linebacker will be at the forefront of LGBT campaigns - if he's successful. That's the bottom line. If Sam isn't a successful player, people will probably forget about him.
Is the NFL "ready" for this? No. Nobody's ever truly ready for something they have zero experience with, but it's time.
Will this impact his draft stock? Certainly. Manti Te'o was discussed as a potential top-five pick, but he ultimately went in the second round - largely due to the fake girlfriend story and the potential distractions that would cause.
That is what's funny about the NFL: There's always another story. The entire world will not stop and focus solely on Sam once the season starts. Rex Ryan will say something dumb. The Cowboys will find another ridiculous way to lose. Maybe Tim Tebow will come back.
Don't forget Johnny Manziel will likely be starting on Sundays in September. And if his college career was any indication, he'll bring plenty of stories with him.
I'm sure Sam doesn't want to be known as simply the first gay NFL player. He wants to be known as the next great NFL linebacker. And if he performs on the field, that is exactly what will happen.
Sunday was a monumental day for professional sports. Soon, stories like this won't even be national stories. But first, the NFL must accept him into the sandbox.
email: owen.obrien@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
