Sarlacc83
Active member
SonicHawk":bx4sfukl said:Sarlacc83":bx4sfukl said:kearly":bx4sfukl said:Boy, if Sam goes undrafted, that means he will be the dominant story of the ENTIRE DRAFT. Make no mistake, he will be the dominant storyline of that draft until the moment he gets drafted. And he might not be drafted.
I think kearly is spot on with both his posts. If the guy gets cut or if he goes undrafted, it'll be because of his sexual orientation, not because of how he might have played on the field or because of his physical tangibles. The media will do everyone a disservice by not treating him as a regular player - in turn dumbing down the narrative about his real potential.
On the other hand, some NFL owner might persuade his GM to draft the guy out of sheer desire to have the media/nation's goodwill. Cynical or smart, I guess the individual can decide.
Unfortunately he's not a regular player. The reason this is a story is because it IS a story. How the NFL and how the world in general views gay people is something of interest and something that is for the first time on the forefront of media and debate. The movie Philadelphia was big because it was a great movie but also because it happened at a time in which the true view of AIDS and gays were of what the characters in the movie dealt with. This is real life and just because we want to view players and this sport as something outside the realm of reality it's just not possible.
Whether he gets drafted or plays in the NFL will be in large part of whether he has the ability to do it. If he doesn't get drafted some will ask a legitimate question whether his sexuality had something to do with it, doesn't mean it's the case, but it certainly would be a question.
Until homosexuality is accepted in mainstream culture fully his career will have much to do with that. Whether he's a terrible NFL player, an average player or a great.
I don't see any NFL owner drafting him because he's gay. The NFL doesn't need stories to get in the newspaper or talked about in the media. If Tebow isn't signed by Jacksonville for PR and ticket sales why would you think a gay player is signed by a team?
His sexuality can only be a deterrent and that's why it's an issue.
I disagree that some will ask if his ability was a legitimate reason why he wasn't drafted. Once again, I am 100% positive the media will dumb down the storyline. Your final line even hints to that, otherwise you wouldn't assume acceptance in some locker room. (As it was reported that Missouri locker room accepted him.) It can only be negative right?
Second, how can you say the NFL doesn't need storylines to get in the newspaper? That's entirely what the NFL wants and needs and it's what they get. How else would they stay in the limelight? You don' think the DUIs and shootings and such play into a huge narrative? In your example, the Tebow storyline had such legs for this exact reason, which is why the rumors continued to surface a year after he was out of football. Ultimately, Tebow didn't get signed because his tape won out over his PR campaign, and because the backlash against him was greater than the minority voices. To the point of dumbing down the narrative, the minority of his devout followers were made into a majority to give the story legs. The NFL thrives on being a huge soap opera, and that is what this is ultimately going to be about - through no fault of Michael Sam.