Michael Sam Discussion

[Stranger]

My wife have spent much of her career in TV and has friends who work at OWN and other reality TV endeavors - the producers most definitely engineer conflict in all sort of insideous ways.

 

[bluecoconuts]

Those would be pretty shitty nature programs. The ones my father has worked with spend years out there looking for those perfect shots. Some reality shows look for drama some don't. HBO for example is one that usually doesn't manufacture drama. Hard Knocks, 24/7 etc. If Oprah wants to then I'd bet Fisher shuts her down. If he doesn't then that's disappointing.

 

[Prime Time]

Doesn't look like this thread is bringing our Rams family we have here any closer........

Good point! Sometimes people need to take a step back and come to the realization that if someone doesn't agree with their particular point of view, it doesn't necessarily mean that they're the enemy. We're all united in one common cause, a love of the Rams. Above all, let's keep the unity here.

 

[rdlkgliders]

There will most certainly be drama and conflict of sorts, It sells. If it's not really there it will appear to be there, it's all in the cut. If not loosely scripted reality is at least outlined. Sorry to spoil it but reality isn't real anymore if ever. Listen to Stranger.

 

[max]

I don't like where this is going....

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...ction?ex_cid=espnapi_public/print?id=10937348

A player on the St. Louis Rams, speaking on condition of anonymity, says Michael Sam's upcoming reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network could potentially cause friction within the team.

"It's an interesting case that he gets to work with Oprah and have his own show, but I think it does raise eyebrows and it may be somewhat of a distraction," the player told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "But this is our first time dealing with something like this, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out and how people react."

The player also isn't certain if teammates are truly embracing Sam's presence or just being politically correct when it comes to accepting the NFL's first openly gay player.

"Clearly I'm not sure how everyone feels, but from what I can tell so far I think it's a little bit of both, honestly," he said.

The reality show on Winfrey's network will document Sam's experience trying to make the Rams. The network said the working title for the series is "The Untitled Michael Sam Project."

Sam's agent, Cameron Weiss, said in an interview on "NFL Live" Thursday that the Rams didn't know about the planned documentary before drafting Sam, but were told before the announcement by OWN. The Rams have said they will not allow any special access to the TV show beyond what the normal media has.

"We did our best to communicate to the league," Weiss said. "We did not know what team he was going to and when he was going to that team. So, as soon as he was (drafted), that's when the communication started and it is on-going and continuing. We're very committed to not infringing on the Rams, their autonomy or taking away in any way from their product on the field or their operations. We're not going to be interviewing any players. We're not going to have coaches, front office (members) or teammates be a part of this. We're not going to be at meetings, and we're not going to be at the team facility or hotel."

Weiss also said Sam remains focused on his career on the field.

"Being a football player and documenting history are not mutually exclusive. Just because Mike is the subject of a documentary, not a reality show, does not mean that he can't focus on football," Weiss said. "To think that just because there's some cameras present, when there has been cameras present for the past 4-plus years of his life, is silly. I think you just have to look at programming that's going on throughout sports and the NFL -- Hard Knocks, A Football Life, even 30 for 30. And these are compelling stories that people enjoy watching and don't take away from the product on the field or the performance."

Sources say the plan is for the series to be broken up into six to eight segments. Weiss and Joe Barkett -- another of Sam's agents -- are producers, as is Sam's publicist, Howard Bragman.

Despite being the 249th pick in the draft, Sam's was the second-most popular jersey of draft weekend, selling more at the NFL's official store than that of any other rookie aside fromJohnny Manziel.

 

[RamBill]

Michael Sam receiving backlash from teammates and media for documentary on Oprah Winfrey's network
By Anwar S. Richardson
Shutdown Corner

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

St. Louis Rams seventh-round draft pick Michael Sam listens to a question during a news conference at the NFL football team's practice facility Tuesday, May 13, 2014, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Michael Sam’s reality show is not on air yet, but the reviews have been bad so far.

Sam is attempting to become the first openly gay player to play in the NFL. He was recently a seventh-round pick by the St. Louis Rams. Sam repeated his desire to be known as a football player, not his sexual orientation, after he was selected.

However, Sam contradicted himself by agreeing to let OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, produce a multi-part documentary series on his life. According to a press release, the cameras "will follow Sam as he works to earn his spot on the St. Louis Rams all while under the intense scrutiny of being the first openly gay player in the NFL."

As expected, Sam’s new teammates are not happy with the rookie’s decision to have cameras invade their locker room.

"It's an interesting case that he gets to work with Oprah and have his own show, but I think it does raise eyebrows and it may be somewhat of a distraction," an anonymous Rams player told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "But this is our first time dealing with something like this, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out and how people react."
In addition, the player told ESPN he was unsure if teammates are truly embracing Sam or trying to be politically correct.

"Clearly I'm not sure how everyone feels, but from what I can tell so far I think it's a little bit of both, honestly," the player told ESPN.
Sam’s decision to participate in a reality show has been heavily criticized by NFL observers.

CBSSports.com’s Gregg Doyel compared Sam’s overexposure to Tim Tebow. However, Doyel does not believe Tebow asked for the publicity, but says Sam is seeking attention:

Michael Sam? He's doing some of it to himself. Certainly noise was going to happen around Sam regardless, even if he hadn't kissed his boyfriend after being drafted, live on ESPN and then in a picture posted to Twitter of him kissing his boyfriend's cake-smeared face. Michael Sam is the first openly gay player in the most popular sports league in this country: He doesn't need any help generating noise.
In addition, Deadspin.com ripped Sam's decision on Thursday:

He is another packaged product being sold to us at heavy markup—commodified smarm at best, and at worst something downright cynical, something that leverages real emotions in service of a marketing strategy. No one wants to find out that Lou Gehrig's farewell speech was copywritten by a dude at Pfizer.
ESPN columnist Jason Whitlock, a supporter of Sam, recently changed his opinion about the football player:

It all feels orchestrated now: the draft-day kiss; the cake-covered face; the tears; the celebration that conveniently captured just Sam, his boyfriend and his two agents; and even the "Stand with Sam" T-shirts selling onmichaelsam.com.
Who knew a reality TV show was being filmed? Who knew Sam's agents (Cameron Weiss and Joe Barkett) and publicist (Howard Bragman) had cut deals to be producers on the reality TV show?
This is all scripted and amateur. And devious, too.
Sam said he wanted to be accepted as a football player, but there are no other seventh-round picks garnering this much attention, or threatening to show up during team workouts with cameras. Even Johnny Manziel has been quiet since the NFL draft.

If Sam wants to play in the NFL, he may have to reconsider participating in the documentary.

If not, he will be recognized for all the wrong reasons.

 

[ZigZagRam]

Nick Wagoner ‏@nwagoner 1h
Sam's agent makes it clear that docuseries won't include work being done at Rams facility. Said they won't interview any players or coaches.

Sure sounds like they're doing everything in their power to have the story told but not affect the team or their development in training camp.

Good thing we didn't cut him already like some Rams fans wanted to.

 

[jrry32]

The player should keep it in house. Hate when they go to the media. But he also has a point. Sam should be focused on playing football and making the team. Not making documentaries with Oprah. His spot on the roster is far from secure. And even if it was secure, distractions like that can hurt the team.

 

[Ramhusker]

I don't like where this is going....

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...ction?ex_cid=espnapi_public/print?id=10937348

A player on the St. Louis Rams, speaking on condition of anonymity, says Michael Sam's upcoming reality show on the Oprah Winfrey Network could potentially cause friction within the team.

"It's an interesting case that he gets to work with Oprah and have his own show, but I think it does raise eyebrows and it may be somewhat of a distraction," the player told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "But this is our first time dealing with something like this, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out and how people react."

The player also isn't certain if teammates are truly embracing Sam's presence or just being politically correct when it comes to accepting the NFL's first openly gay player.

"Clearly I'm not sure how everyone feels, but from what I can tell so far I think it's a little bit of both, honestly," he said.

The reality show on Winfrey's network will document Sam's experience trying to make the Rams. The network said the working title for the series is "The Untitled Michael Sam Project."

Sam's agent, Cameron Weiss, said in an interview on "NFL Live" Thursday that the Rams didn't know about the planned documentary before drafting Sam, but were told before the announcement by OWN. The Rams have said they will not allow any special access to the TV show beyond what the normal media has.

"We did our best to communicate to the league," Weiss said. "We did not know what team he was going to and when he was going to that team. So, as soon as he was (drafted), that's when the communication started and it is on-going and continuing. We're very committed to not infringing on the Rams, their autonomy or taking away in any way from their product on the field or their operations. We're not going to be interviewing any players. We're not going to have coaches, front office (members) or teammates be a part of this. We're not going to be at meetings, and we're not going to be at the team facility or hotel."

Weiss also said Sam remains focused on his career on the field.

"Being a football player and documenting history are not mutually exclusive. Just because Mike is the subject of a documentary, not a reality show, does not mean that he can't focus on football," Weiss said. "To think that just because there's some cameras present, when there has been cameras present for the past 4-plus years of his life, is silly. I think you just have to look at programming that's going on throughout sports and the NFL -- Hard Knocks, A Football Life, even 30 for 30. And these are compelling stories that people enjoy watching and don't take away from the product on the field or the performance."

Sources say the plan is for the series to be broken up into six to eight segments. Weiss and Joe Barkett -- another of Sam's agents -- are producers, as is Sam's publicist, Howard Bragman.

Despite being the 249th pick in the draft, Sam's was the second-most popular jersey of draft weekend, selling more at the NFL's official store than that of any other rookie aside fromJohnny Manziel.

And so it begins! Who said this? Richardson or Cudjo?

Sure the kid can focus on NFL football and being a TV star at the same time. It just reduces his chances exponentially of making the team. Everybody has their priorities I guess and sometimes we can bite off more than we can chew but MS may prove to be a super-human multi-tasker.

 

[max]

The player should keep it in house. Hate when they go to the media. But he also has a point. Sam should be focused on playing football and making the team. Not making documentaries with Oprah. His spot on the roster is far from secure. And even if it was secure, distractions like that can hurt the team.

I agree that he should keep it in house, but there are a ton of player, coaches, and team members at Rams Park. Somebody is gonna say something.

And it's gonna get worse.

How about when players start getting cut with Sam still on the team? That can be very dangerous for the Rams. Those cut players can say some negative stuff about this.

 

[Ramhusker]

Sure sounds like they're doing everything in their power to have the story told but not affect the team or their development in training camp.

Good thing we didn't cut him already like some Rams fans wanted to.

Yeah, we cut Richardson and Cudjo. That's enough for today.

 

[max]

Sure sounds like they're doing everything in their power to have the story told but not affect the team or their development in training camp.

Good thing we didn't cut him already like some Rams fans wanted to.

Obviously, not all the Rams players feel the same way you do. The rumblings on the team have already started. Think they will get worse or better? Hmmm.

 

[ZigZagRam]

I don't think the quote from the "anonymous player" was nearly as damning as the ESPN headline tried to sensationalize it to be.

 

[RamFan503]

You'd have to think that the Rams knew what was going on, they may not have known that he had a deal in place, but I have a hard time thinking that Fisher and Snead didn't know there would be camera's following him around. It says they get very limited access which means it's probably going to be them standing on the sidelines during practice and talking to Sam afterwards, and maybe a few others players... Which honestly isn't going to be much more than anyone else gets, I don't think it's going to be anything like a Hard Knocks thing with cameras all over the place and a bunch of different players. I'd be shocked if they get access to film rooms and meetings and things like that, it's likely going to be Sam on the practice field, and Sam at home. It's not like Oprah is going to be there herself or that the cameramen are going to be approaching Fisher saying "Hey, get Sam on the field so we can get a shot of him!"

It was inevitable that people were going to want to follow the story, and it's inevitable that people are going to want to know what our other players think about that. Fisher called in Wade Davis because he knew it was going to happen.

If Sam's production on the field isn't good enough to beat out who he needs to beat, or he's a locker room cancer (which by all accounts he doesn't seem to be) then yeah, give him the boot, I don't want that either. If he's too distracted by the attention then it will be nobodies fault but his own.

Now if the Rams can't handle the extra attention, the locker room isn't strong enough to handle things, then no, I don't think they're ready for that next step. Part of being those elite teams is being able to handle everything, both on and off the field.

Don't get me wrong, I care about the Rams first and I want what is best for them obviously. I just don't think we should automatically assume Michael Sam doesn't care about football and is only a selfish guy looking for attention and fame, or that he's damaging to the team just because people want to know his story (which is because he's gay). If Oprah wants a bigger story then the Rams better make sure they don't give her one. If she finds one then the team failed.

Just because people are poking around doesn't mean that team cohesion is automatically destroyed. I've been in that environment, and we were strong enough that it didn't affect us at all. Those are excuses, and the Rams should have no excuses. If Sam isn't good enough then he wont make the team. If the team can't handle the attention then they're not good enough, end of story.

I believe the coaching staff and the team are good enough to not let a few extra cameras affect them. I wont root against anyone on this team, the better they are the better this team is, and in the end that's what matters.

Fair enough and well said. Obviously we all hope you're right. No circus surrounding it - no problem. I have my doubts but it's going to play out how it will.

 

[Ramhusker]

I don't think the quote from the "anonymous player" was nearly as damning as the ESPN headline tried to sensationalize it to be.

Right, it doesn't have to be nor will they be probably but that isn't the picture we and the rest of the world will get. You have to remember the whole world has been getting mind-fucked by the media for years now and the specialists of that genre are at our door.

 

[ZigZagRam]

Absolutely right.

Let's look at the quote:

"It's an interesting case that he gets to work with Oprah and have his own show, but I think it does raise eyebrows and it may be somewhat of a distraction," the player told ESPN's Josina Anderson. "But this is our first time dealing with something like this, so we'll have to wait and see how it plays out and how people react."

I don't think a headline that says 'Rams players expressing patience with new experience' brings in the viewership.

 

[Mick]

I wish the media would just leave enough be. Give this man and this team some privacy. The more the media makes this a distraction to both him and the RAMS organization, the harder it will be for this team to focus on playing football. I'm glad he is part of the team and if he can make a difference to the team's success then it was a great pick by Fisher & Co. It's about football and the RAMS. No one player is greater than the team, and I'm pretty sure Sam knows this. He needs to continue making that point to the media so they will leave him be and he can focus on football.

No documentary will be made without Sam's express consent....he signed up for this circus...it isn't the media hounding him, it's him saying yes, I want this circus.....frankly, this worries me...just glad Oprah's crew won't have access to the Ram's facilities. Please go film Johnny concussion's hard knocks and not ours.

 

[max]

Sam's agent was on with Burwell today and said they told the NFL about the Oprah deal.

So Goodell and company knew about it. But the Rams didn't and they aren't happy about that.

I just wonder how many people in the league office knew about it. And how many teams did they tell?

 

[Dodgersrf]

Wow.
I was happy for the guy last weekend.

Not so much anymore.
It's rumored that his agents are the producers on the show

Just go play football and prove that you deserve to be on the field.

This whole topic shouldn't even be a discussion, now he's turning this into a non football issue.