By Will Van Gelder ‘16

Former Missouri defensive end Michael Sam publicly announced he was gay in a recent interview with ESPN’s “Outside The Lines.” Sam’s announcement has been widely considered an act of courage, as he is preparing for the NFL draft, which is to be held on the weekend of May 8-10. While many NFL franchises have already issued statements that they would welcome Sam into their organizations with open arms, the NFL has a reputation of having a homophobic culture, and it is still unknown what type of reception Sam will receive when he enters the NFL.

First let’s look at the good news. It’s already been proven that Sam could be in a football locker room without creating a “distraction” to his teammates. This was the case last year when Sam came out to his college teammates at Missouri, which, if anything, even further supports Sam’s case as there are almost twice as many players on a college roster as an NFL squad. He could also be regarded as an inspiration to many gay athletes and convince them that they can make it in the world of sports. And with Sam and NBA center Jason Collins both “coming out” in the last calendar year, the number of openly gay athletes in major American sports could see a significant increase in future years, helping change many people’s perceptions of homosexuals in sports. In other words, Sam’s courage may help cause a domino effect that could eventually lead to gay people being more widely accepted not just by fellow athletes but by the sports community (fans, players, team officials, etc.) as a whole. This could eventually lead to a growing tolerance and acceptance level of gay people in a more general context.

Now for the bad news. According to an article in The Washington Post, many NFL team officials said that Sam’s announcement caused a significant drop in his NFL Draft stock, moving him from the middle rounds of the draft to the later rounds because of his potential to become a distraction. Additionally, while many players have voiced support for Sam in recent weeks, a recent investigative report into bullying in the locker room of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins found that offensive lineman Richie Incognito and other teammates regularly used gay slurs against a rookie teammate, who wasn’t even gay. While a majority of Americans support gay marriage, millions, including Sam’s own father, do not. Sam’s father said he “didn’t want his grandkids to grow up in that environment.”

While most aspiring NFL players are drafted based on their playing skills and NFL readiness, NFL owners and coaches will have to consider much more when drafting Sam, including how well he will fit in the locker room and if his being gay could be a distraction to players. Sam will also be facing much more media attention and scrutiny than other potential draftees, which he will have to learn how to ignore.

Sam surely knows that he will not be accepted by every player and fan, but he has already shown the courage to overcome these obstacles by coming out to the general public before May’s NFL Draft. While he’s already said he doesn’t want to get too involved in gay rights debates, Sam will certainly become an inspiration to aspiring gay athletes everywhere.