By Ken Reed
Michael Sam had the courage to be true to himself. He decided to out himself before a snoopy reporter or stone-age NFL scout decided to do it for him.
He faced his fears and told the world “This is who I am.” Now the NFL needs to face its collective fear, “How do we deal with a gay man in our league?” and do the right thing.
They need to get on the right side of history on this issue.
Sure, it will be challenging for the NFL team that drafts Sam. Being the first to do anything draws attention. Training camp could indeed be a media circus. (You don’t think the Houston training camp will be a media circus filled with distractions if the Texans draft Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Football Manziel?) But all the attention will be for a positive reason: moving our society forward.
Legally, this issue has all kinds of civil rights ramifications. Morally, it has all kinds of Golden Rule implications.
Progress isn’t easy. Doing the right thing isn’t easy. It certainly would’ve been easier for Branch Rickey to abide by MLB’s color line instead of signing Jackie Robinson. (Jackie Robinson certainly was a distraction for the Dodgers’ manager and players his first season.) It wasn’t easy for Billie Jean King to be a Title IX activist, play the sexist Bobby Riggs, and start the Women’s Sports Foundation. But millions of girls and women are glad she did.
Michael Sam can play. He’s the reigning SEC defensive player of the year. He might be a little short and he may never be an All-Pro but he can play in the NFL.
The NFL journey won’t be easy for Sam. And it won’t be easy for the NFL GM and head coach that draft him. They’ll have to answer a lot of repetitive and sometimes silly questions in front of cameras.
But if a GM and head coach determine that Sam can help their team, then they are compelled to draft him — professionally and morally. If Sam goes undrafted, it will be a tragedy given that we’re living in the year 2014, and it will be a black mark on the NFL.
As Dallas-Ft. Worth sports anchor Dale Hansen pointed out in his stinging commentary this week, the Michael Sam issue is making a lot of people uncomfortable.
But here’s hoping NFL owners, execs, coaches, players, reporters and fans can face their uncomfortable feelings, accept them, and do the right thing.
Martin Luther King said it best, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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