Brain Droppings Thoughts on Michael Sam

Donald Sterling continues to baffle everyone and has dominated the headlines of off the court news for two weeks now. But as I alluded to last week, the biggest "on field" story in sports this weekend was the NFL Draft. The Draft always has compelling story lines. Day one was all about Johnny Manziel and how far he would fall after not being picked with the #1 pick. By the way, Cleveland got themselves a hella good back-up QB there. Day two was about teams filling their rosters with talent. The last day turned out to be the Michael Sam show.



Usually, the 249th pick in the draft doesn't warrant a lot of attention. Last year the Falcons took Sean Renfree, a QB from Duke. In 2012 the pick was Trevor Guytom, a DE from California to the Minnesota Vikings. Arizona took WR Demarco Samson in 2011. You get the picture, not a lot of guys you have heard of. But this year, there was big news with the 249th overall pick. The St. Louis Rams selected Michael Sam, a DL from Missouri. On paper, this pick seems kind of like a steal. Sam was the 2013 Sec Co-Defensive player of the year. Usually guys like that go earlier. However, in this instance, Sam's draft stock dropped because prior to the combine, he came out as gay. Here's how Michael Sam reacted in case you haven't seen it (and no, this isn't the cake video).

So, will Michael Sam's career be special or more like the 7th rounders I mentioned earlier. There's little doubt that he has broken a barrier. The problem is, will he become a star or not? He ran a 4.9 at the combine and his lifting reps left a little to be desired. He's undersized for the position he'll play in the NFL and he'll be playing behind two of the more productive defensive ends in the NFL for the Rams, that is if he makes the team. St. Louis has already made positive head lines by merely drafting him and breaking the Sexuality barrier in the NFL (officially, at least). However, Sam will be entering into a macho culture that has already had to reprimand players for speaking out on Twitter. Can the Rams cut him without any backlash? Will it be a necessity of holding the team together or can they accept it if he is good enough to make the team? Jackie Robinson had a special demeanor that allowed him to endure the hate spewed at him when he broke the race barrier in baseball. Does Michael Sam have the same kind of make-up? He will hear it from not just opposing fans, but opposing players and possibly even feel a chilly welcome from teammates. I commend him for doing what he is doing. There's little doubt that it's a big deal and I hope it opens the door for other players to feel comfortable enough to join him in being public with his sexuality (though it really doesn't matter and is none of our business). Whether other players will feel safe doing that will be partially determined with how Sam is greeted in his rookie season. GRH wishes him the best of luck.