Before Michael Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player, ever set foot on a football field, doubters had claimed that he would be a distraction to his team and shunned by his teammates. However, in the first media flare-up regarding Sam's orientation, he has received the definitive support of one of the strongest voices in his locker room.
The precipitating incident was an ESPN report on how Sam, no sure thing to make the Rams roster, was adjusting to life with his new teammates. And after some initial cliches, the report took a sharp turn, focusing for almost a full minute on Sam's showering habits:
The very idea of a report focusing on his showering habits, a barely-concealed "is he peeping at his teammates" angle lurking within, is insulting to both Sam and viewers. The report drew immediate criticism on social media, both for its selectiveness (how many other rookies are asked about their shower habits?) and its gaze too deep into the locker room.
But there's a larger issue here. For years, people who claim to know the NFL culture have said that the locker room wouldn't accept a gay man. But within hours after the report aired, Rams teammate Chris Long shattered that myth with one eight-word tweet:
There you go. Sam's teammates, at least in the opinion of one of the locker room's leading figures, have accepted who he is and have moved on to the business of football.
Yahoo Sports has reached out to ESPN for comment on the "shower" story, and will update as needed.
____
Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1wypo2E
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire