My Advice to Michael Sam — “Just Say No”
It’s beyond deplorable that in the year 2014, a person’s sexual orientation still makes the news. One would think we’re past such issues.
When Jackie Robinson shattered the color barrier and signed to play Major League Baseball with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, team owner Branch Rickey famously cautioned the future Hall of Famer that he wasn’t looking for a warrior, but rather for a special certain ballplayer “with guts enough not to fight back.”
That was good advice then, just as it’s good advice now.
A few weeks ago, the National Football League’s St. Louis Rams selected a defensive player from the University of Missouri named Michael Sam late in this year’s draft. Such an announcement wouldn’t normally be a bold headline. But this particular draft pick and special player made history. Sam’s self-disclosure as the first openly gay player in professional football thrust him instantly into the spotlight and made him the talk of the nation.
This was a major news story for all the wrong reasons. It’s beyond deplorable that in the year 2014, a person’s sexual orientation still makes the news. One would think we’re past such issues. But as the ceaseless barrage of media interest and coverage in this story shows — not just in sports but in the mainstream press, as well — we’ve still got a very long way to go on matters of just about everything. One awaits the day with open arms when finally, taglines such as “the first black” this, or “the first gay” that, or “the first woman” whatever won’t be any longer necessary. Only then will we have true equality in our society, when we don’t think about those things which have been the basis of discrimination and cruelty for centuries.
That said, Sam’s handling of his newborn celebrity goes beyond disappointing. He immediately embraced his new role as a media star, voluntarily granting countless interviews to just about everyone — which perhaps was to be expected. But when Oprah Winfrey brown-nosed the opportunity, proposing a brand new reality television show starring Sam, who hasn’t yet played a single down of professional football, the spectacle instantly jumped the shark and hit the ram. What makes Sam a prospective TV star? That fact he’s gay? How utterly patronizing.
Aside from the fact that Oprah has pretty much become her own mixed cake batter, a half-baked cross between Donald Trump with The Kardashians — another so-called “celebrity” most people are fed up with and wish would just disappear — the notion of Sam even remotely entertaining the prospect of doing reality TV showed an appalling lack of judgment. The episode revealed seemingly no awareness at all that the NFL is a team sport where hard work, talent, and performance are the only barometers of success. Make no mistake, nothing about Sam will matter — not a damn thing — so long as he can play really football. He’ll always have a job so long as he performs on the field. No one will care about what happens inside his bedroom.
In interviews, Sam has reportedly said over and over that he “just wants to play football.” That’s all fine and dandy, except for the fact he continues drawing attention to himself for all the wrong reasons by his mere willingness to engage in interviews. While the Oprah television deal mercifully collapsed, vetoed by the league or the team (perhaps both) depending on who you believe, look for the frenzy to reemerge once Sam enters the first day of training camp. When and if he actually makes the team roster, media intensity will ratchet up even higher. The locker room will turn into a circus, with most of the attention focused on a backup defensive lineman riding the bench every week.
To be fair, Sam lacks experience in his new role as a celebrity and social catalyst. So, we will forgive some degree of naivete. But turning down interviews, ignoring television cameras, and focusing instead on his new role as a proud member of the St. Louis Rams family would go a much longer way towards preserving Sam’s legacy as a groundbreaker and a role model for millions. Sam is no good whatsoever to any social movement, and could even end up being counterproductive if he doesn’t end up making the team. Accordingly, all of Sam’s energy should be spent focusing on the football field, not taking calls from Oprah.
Several analysts suggest Sam’s chance of making the team is less than 50-50. This has nothing to do with him being gay. Seventh-round draft choices traditionally face slim prospects when entering training camp. This means Sam has a lot of work to do. He must fine-tune himself even more if he expects to be wearing a St. Louis Rams uniform come September 8th. Add in fearful whispers that Sam could become a distraction, and that makes him potentially toxic to a team in the midst of a rebuilding phase, which is all a most convenient excuse for dismissal. Head coach Jeff Fisher is certainly expected to give Sam more than a fair chance to make the team. But if his young prospect doesn’t perform, he’ll be gone.
Indeed, not making the team would be bad for everyone. Bad for Michael Sam. Bad for the NFL. Bad for the causes of justice and equality. It means we’ll have to wait for another Jackie Robinson to come along. Hopefully.
So, my advice to Michael Sam is simple. Quit doing interviews. Politely decline all media invitations. Just say “no.” Keep your head low and buried in the team playbook and your focus out on the football field. That’s how you earn respect. That’s how you win this fight.
Just play football. That’s the best thing Michael Sam can do, as a teammate and a role model.
