St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam wins the Arthur Ashe Award For Courage.
Michael Sam Wins Arthur Ashe Award--ESPN Video
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St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam wins the Arthur Ashe Award For Courage.
That's cool. Can't imagine anyone else who deserved it more.
HE WITH HORNS
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I don't think it's courageous to do something when they throw you a parade for it. The media has turned this guy into a hero for nothing. A real hero does something that is against the popular opinion, and against the agenda that is being pushed by the media and the government.
Lot of people are still incredibly against homosexuality. See the Westboros. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself in front of the entire world. Doesn't matter who's backing you; you still have to say it yourself.
Good for Sam.
Well deserved. Not many people would even have the balls to do what he did.
Nonsense. Watch his speech when he talks about helping a girl who is having suicidal thoughts. His emotion is genuine.
Seeking publicity in order to help a greater cause other than yourself is something pretty special. There is a lot about the homosexual debate that I don't know that I agree with, but helping people deal with emotions and depression caused by things such as this is nothing but good. You don't know that his intentions for a reality show were for self-promotion...his whole intention could simply be to use it as another platform to reach out to people struggling.
I for one am proud of what he is doing and proud he is a Ram. ...and just for perspective to show that I am not a gay rights activist or anything (in case that is relevant to anyone for this discussion), I don't really think I necessarily believe that people are born gay or straight. But I don't necessarily believe people choose to be gay or straight either.
I didn't know that he had a speech. But I did think it odd that he kept saying he just wants to play football, but had a reality show lined up. That's all.
...its the video in the original post
Regardless, every award he wins from here he will have to be won on a 100 yard x 53 yard rectangle that chews up and spits out world class talent like a eat grinder. Let's see if Sam is up to the task.
You mean like coming out of the closet before being drafted into the most macho environment on the entire planet?
I don't think anyone is trying to turn him into a hero, but he has the admiration of an awful lot of people.
If you want to find out how difficult it is to do what he did in front of everyone who watches the NFL do a little project of your own. Tell your friends, coworkers and family that you are gay. See what happens........You probably aren't gay, but watch what happens when you tell people you are, then you'll have a better understanding.
I've seen two people come out of the closet, both in less understanding times (80's and early 90's) and it wasn't pretty. In fact one was a woman who told me that she was considering changing her name and moving away and leaving everything behind her. She didn't, but that's how harsh her life became when she told her biggest secret to people she thought she could trust with it.
I'm not pushing a pro gay agenda, I don't care who people fuck it's not that interesting to me. I'm not even sure I can support gay marriage. But I have some idea of how hard it is to do what he did and I can appreciate the fortitude.
What impressed me about the segment, was the fact that Jeff Fisher AND Les Snead were in attendance, and showing genuine support and even looked to be very emotional when Sam was giving his speech. You can see why his players love playing for this guy. Because he gets the "big picture" stuff.
He's going to be sorely tested, emotionally that is, when he makes the team and the internet starts up with the "they gave him a spot because he's gay" stuff that you know will be coming. I hope that he channels the anger he is going to feel from having his efforts doubted directly onto Wilson and Keapernick and Palmer.
I agree that there will be some of that, but I don't think it will linger. With these sort of things, there seems to be a groundswell of attention given to it in the days immediately following, but it quickly subsides, and things just get back to normal.
Yeah it's true that the internet has a short attention span and people will move on to the next thing.
About your point that Fisher and Snead were there.......it's a good one and players really do like him. This is a great thing because when was the last time this team had a guy players liked.......DV but not at first that's for sure. I cannot think of a past Rams HC that players really loved to pay for. Robinson? Knox? I don't know because I was younger then and there wasn't the type of coverage there is these days.
ANyway what I was trying to get at is that it seems to me when we look at the list of guys who have been the HC of very successful and SB winning ballclubs almost all of them are well respected/loved by their players.
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Sam isn't the first gay player to play in the NFL. He is the first to openly admit it.
Also, he could have kept it to himself instead of hurting his chances in the NFL.
He put his beliefs in front of his career. The guy, clearly is a man of conviction.
You clearly have no idea what a "real hero" actually is. What you're describing is a maverick, not a hero. Look it up.
A "hero" is anything you interpret it to be. I am sure my heros are different then yours. That does not make them any less of a "hero"
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I can understand where He With Horns is coming from. Yes, there are idiots like the Westboro cult out there (whose members are all related, btw, and mostly lawyers because they make money by inciting people to hit them and then suing them) or morons who would physically attack someone for having another sexual preference, but for the most part, Sam proclaimed himself as a member of the most socially protected minority of all time. The first NFL member who dares publicly say the first negative thing about him (even if it doesn't relate at all to his sexuality) is going to be pilloried.
So yeah, while it did take some courage, it wasn't as big a thing as some would have you believe.
Personally, I find it more likely (and scary) that he won't make the team, and the Internet will start with charges (and possibly he with litigation) that he didn't get a spot because he was gay.
I think we should have a little wager. I say he makes the team.........so lets pony up some ROD cheddar.
I'm in for a quarter million on the sports book, but a little side action is fine with me.