Quote:Yep. You are 100% correct. Reality really hit home when he kissed his boyfriend after being drafted. I think that freaked a lot of people out. That said, THE MEDIA is 100% guilty of pushing it down everybody's throat as they lead off NFL Total Access with the story, it's on CNN, etc. THE MEDIA claims to seek equal rights but they in fact fuel the fire to heighten controversy.
I agree with your statement 100%. Michael Sam announced he was gay. Nothing more and nothing less. Now it's time to go play some football.
The media is always going to look for the most sensational angle possible because that means ratings. They couldn't care less about Sam or his sexuality. What they care about is numbers, and they made the determination that they could use this situation to get better ratings.
In the end, it's about football. Either he succeeds or he doesn't. It won't matter who he's sleeping with when all is said and done.
Quote:The media is always going to look for the most sensational angle possible because that means ratings. They couldn't care less about Sam or his sexuality. What they care about is numbers, and they made the determination that they could use this situation to get better ratings.
Well that is a big part of it, yes. The media also tends to lean in a certain direction if you catch my drift. I don't want to get political, so I should probably stop there.
I have no problem with Sam or his orientation. That's not the point and that's not the issue that most people have with this campaign, and don't kid yourselves, this is a campaign.
The problem that I have is that right now we have a seventh round compensatory selection being pushed down our throats as someone to be idolized.
The thing that i hate the most is that right now you have tons of media people who don't know all that much about the NFL or how the draft process works and they and instead are wasting our air time with their own political agenda's.
First and most flagrant is the idea that somehow Michael Sam was dramatically under drafted purely because of his orientation. People in the media and even some on this board scream to the high heavens "but he was the CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the year in the SEC... how can 248 people be rated ahead of him"
I'll admit, when first the story broke i was intrigued by that title as well. But then a little more investigation reveals that he wasn't even the best prospect on his own football team, Kony Ealy was reguarded as a late first round pick and garnered most of the attention from opposing offenses and of his whopping eleven sacks this past year 9 came in three games against lower level competition (and i say that as a Florida Fan!!!!) Just because you play in the SEC doesn't mean that the sack you got was against an NFL quality LT or that your skill set projects to the next level.
Then we get to the combine. If you are less than 260 pounds shorter than 6-3 and don't have long arms if you run 4.91 at a position that calls for explosion.... you're going to go in the last couple of rounds. If you run a 4.7 in the 20 yard shuttle... You're going to go in the last couple of rounds. If you only put up 17 reps... with short arms... you're going in the last three rounds. If you run a 7.8 three cone... (measures agility and change of direction) you might just go undrafted. let alone the fact that you come along with a media circus. If he was dating tyra banks and played for the orange and blue i would have had the same oppinion i had about jarvis moss or derrick harvey when they were coming out. pretty good year but he's not an elite quick twitch athlete that deserves draft capital.
And you have to understand. This isn't just about accepting the kid and going about your business. NO NO NO. Just ask the guy from mozilla. just ask the kid from the dolphins that got sent to anger management. just ask the reps from the PA association talking about disciplinary action for people who make INTOLERANT remarks.... Just ask the shop owners of faith who have been sued and forced to participate in homosexual wedding ceremonies or loose their business the list goes on and on. I don't have a problem with people who have certain tastes. That's their business and have at it. What i can't stand, is the fascist invasion where we shove a microphone in front of everyone's face after forcing them to watch two guys kissing on a continuous loop for 72 hours and hold the gun of public oppinion to their head and tell them that they better say they like it!
More over, we hear his story over and over again with the sound of bagpipes in the background. Tim Tebow's mother had a compelling story of triumph and overcoming adversity with his birth and his career. He was a heisman trophy winner. When word came out about a superbowl commercial what did we hear? no one wants to hear that. Shut up. Go to the back of the bus. No preaching, we don't like to be preached to this is about football we don't have time for that. What happened? Tim Tebow and his mom had to shut up and give out a link.
Fast forward to this morning. you have people on national television admimatly and with raised voices telling me and my family that we need to see this guy kissing his boyfriend we need to see it, we need to like it and if we have a problem with it then we're someone inhuman insensitive or being accused of being some closet case. The blatant hypocrisy on this issue is just plain sickening.
And last but not least, and this may suprise you. I'm really legitimately praying for this kid. Because i know, that everyone singing his praises right now doesn't really give a hoot about him. They just care about the soundbyte. In reality, this is a kid whos never had to deal with what he's getting ready to deal with. At missouri his team mates got to know him as michael and beause of that relationship when they had their own suspicions about his sexuality they looked out for him because he was one of them and that's the way that things should be.
Now he has to go into a lockeroom of grown men looking for jobs to feed their families as the Gay activist Michael sam and the reason there are fifty cameras outside and the reason that you're getting all these questions about how the kiss made you feel and if you had michael and his bf over for dinner and everything that comes with that. It's going to be a lot harder to fit in in that culture not because he's gay, but because he hasn't done anything in reality to deserve the attention. And on top of that people are going to have to approach him with kid gloves because if god forbid they say something or don't sit at the same lunch table they may be fined etc.
Most importantly and this is going to be politically incorrect so brace yourself. At first, i'll admit even though i don't agree with his lifestyle i did admit that i found what he did to be courageous... And then i found out about how he told his father... As a MAN. When you make a decision you don't shrink from that decision. If you can't look your father in the eye, don't tell me about how courageous a kid is for running to a media that was already fawning over jason collins outside the steps of the capital for acceptance!
If you're a person of same sex orientation i don't hold you any ill will and i'm not talking about you. what you do is your business. the invasion of the gustapo thought police to make my personal belief system iligetimate or at worse a sanctionable offense on the otherhand is just as unconscionable as bgotry, hatred or prejudice towards someone with a different sexual orientation.
Quote:I have no problem with Sam or his orientation. That's not the point and that's not the issue that most people have with this campaign, and don't kid yourselves, this is a campaign.
The problem that I have is that right now we have a seventh round compensatory selection being pushed down our throats as someone to be idolized.
The thing that i hate the most is that right now you have tons of media people who don't know all that much about the NFL or how the draft process works and they and instead are wasting our air time with their own political agenda's.
First and most flagrant is the idea that somehow Michael Sam was dramatically under drafted purely because of his orientation. People in the media and even some on this board scream to the high heavens "but he was the CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER of the year in the SEC... how can 248 people be rated ahead of him"
I'll admit, when first the story broke i was intrigued by that title as well. But then a little more investigation reveals that he wasn't even the best prospect on his own football team, Kony Ealy was reguarded as a late first round pick and garnered most of the attention from opposing offenses and of his whopping eleven sacks this past year 9 came in three games against lower level competition (and i say that as a Florida Fan!!!!) Just because you play in the SEC doesn't mean that the sack you got was against an NFL quality LT or that your skill set projects to the next level.
Then we get to the combine. If you are less than 260 pounds shorter than 6-3 and don't have long arms if you run 4.91 at a position that calls for explosion.... you're going to go in the last couple of rounds. If you run a 4.7 in the 20 yard shuttle... You're going to go in the last couple of rounds. If you only put up 17 reps... with short arms... you're going in the last three rounds. If you run a 7.8 three cone... (measures agility and change of direction) you might just go undrafted. let alone the fact that you come along with a media circus. If he was dating tyra banks and played for the orange and blue i would have had the same oppinion i had about jarvis moss or derrick harvey when they were coming out. pretty good year but he's not an elite quick twitch athlete that deserves draft capital.
And you have to understand. This isn't just about accepting the kid and going about your business. NO NO NO. Just ask the guy from mozilla. just ask the kid from the dolphins that got sent to anger management. just ask the reps from the PA association talking about disciplinary action for people who make INTOLERANT remarks.... Just ask the shop owners of faith who have been sued and forced to participate in homosexual wedding ceremonies or loose their business the list goes on and on. I don't have a problem with people who have certain tastes. That's their business and have at it. What i can't stand, is the fascist invasion where we shove a microphone in front of everyone's face after forcing them to watch two guys kissing on a continuous loop for 72 hours and hold the gun of public oppinion to their head and tell them that they better say they like it!
More over, we hear his story over and over again with the sound of bagpipes in the background. Tim Tebow's mother had a compelling story of triumph and overcoming adversity with his birth and his career. He was a heisman trophy winner. When word came out about a superbowl commercial what did we hear? no one wants to hear that. Shut up. Go to the back of the bus. No preaching, we don't like to be preached to this is about football we don't have time for that. What happened? Tim Tebow and his mom had to shut up and give out a link.
Fast forward to this morning. you have people on national television admimatly and with raised voices telling me and my family that we need to see this guy kissing his boyfriend we need to see it, we need to like it and if we have a problem with it then we're someone inhuman insensitive or being accused of being some closet case. The blatant hypocrisy on this issue is just plain sickening.
And last but not least, and this may suprise you. I'm really legitimately praying for this kid. Because i know, that everyone singing his praises right now doesn't really give a hoot about him. They just care about the soundbyte. In reality, this is a kid whos never had to deal with what he's getting ready to deal with. At missouri his team mates got to know him as michael and beause of that relationship when they had their own suspicions about his sexuality they looked out for him because he was one of them and that's the way that things should be.
Now he has to go into a lockeroom of grown men looking for jobs to feed their families as the Gay activist Michael sam and the reason there are fifty cameras outside and the reason that you're getting all these questions about how the kiss made you feel and if you had michael and his bf over for dinner and everything that comes with that. It's going to be a lot harder to fit in in that culture not because he's gay, but because he hasn't done anything in reality to deserve the attention. And on top of that people are going to have to approach him with kid gloves because if god forbid they say something or don't sit at the same lunch table they may be fined etc.
Most importantly and this is going to be politically incorrect so brace yourself. At first, i'll admit even though i don't agree with his lifestyle i did admit that i found what he did to be courageous... And then i found out about how he told his father... As a MAN. When you make a decision you don't shrink from that decision. If you can't look your father in the eye, don't tell me about how courageous a kid is for running to a media that was already fawning over jason collins outside the steps of the capital for acceptance!
If you're a person of same sex orientation i don't hold you any ill will and i'm not talking about you. what you do is your business. the invasion of the gustapo thought police to make my personal belief system iligetimate or at worse a sanctionable offense on the otherhand is just as unconscionable as bgotry, hatred or prejudice towards someone with a different sexual orientation.
I think you nailed it when you pointed out the media doesn't care one bit about Sam. When his usefulness is completely gone, they'll simply move on to the next cause celeb. For now, they love the guy because it allows them to push an agenda. That will eventually go away, and when it does, they'll forget him in a moment.
Quote:I don't know how a man who was SEC Defensive Player of the Year cannot make a roster. He was the best player on defense in the best conference in the country, how can he not make a contribution on the field in some capacity?
Regards.....................the Chiefjag
That's like sayinig a quarterback that won a Heisman would make it in the NFL (I hear this from my father in law way too often.)
Some skill sets just dont translate to the NFL. There are a lot of good college players that just dont cut it in the NFL...and a lot of decent college players blow up when they make it there.
Quote:For now, they (the media) love the guy because it allows them to push an agenda.
Yes, this was what I was trying to say above.
Quote:That's like sayinig a quarterback that won a Heisman would make it in the NFL (I hear this from my father in law way too often.)
Some skill sets just dont translate to the NFL. There are a lot of good college players that just dont cut it in the NFL...and a lot of decent college players blow up when they make it there.
If you look at Sam's measurables, that may be the case. I was going to suggest maybe as a special teams guy, but he's got a painfully slow 40 time.
Why was that Dolphins player fined for saying he didn't like seeing Sam and his BF kissing. I'm not going to lie, I was like yuck.
Quote:Why was that Dolphins player fined for saying he didn't like seeing Sam and his BF kissing. I'm not going to lie, I was like yuck.
Because league-think mandates you must embrace the kiss, or you're labeled a homophobe who needs to go to counseling.
Quote:Yes, this was what I was trying to say above.
Why are people expressing shock that the news media is paying attention to something newsworthy?
That's not an agenda (you're the one with the agenda), that's called news. Anything that causes people not into the NFL to pay attention is, ipso facto, newsworthy.
I'd be more concerned if they
weren't paying attention to it, then I'd wonder if they were being told what not to report.
Some people seemed to feel threatened by the whole subject. No one is forced to read or watch anything. And anyway, you should be glad at all the coverage - the sooner it gets reported the sooner it will no longer be a story. Then we can all go back to reading articles about who might be the third-string guard going into OTAs.
maybe it makes me some kind of bigot but I just didn't care for the kiss on TV and thought it inappropriate. I get it your gay, fine no problems with me but I don't want to explain to my 6 year old son who's watching TV with me why 2 guys are kissing...........
Quote:maybe it makes me some kind of bigot but I just didn't care for the kiss on TV and thought it inappropriate. I get it your gay, fine no problems with me but I don't want to explain to my 6 year old son who's watching TV with me why 2 guys are kissing...........
You better start hiding him from the world then, because he's going to see a whole bunch of stuff.
Here was your chance. You don't seem to be "some kind of bigot", and I hope your son will not be one as well.
Quote:Why was that Dolphins player fined for saying he didn't like seeing Sam and his BF kissing. I'm not going to lie, I was like yuck.
Because George Orwell's 1984....read it.
Quote:
Some people seemed to feel threatened by the whole subject.
Ah yes, the canned "if you don't agree with it, you must really secretly like it" response. Was waiting for this one...
I don't like lima beans.....that must mean that I subconsciously like them, or feel threatened by them. .gif "Laughing")
Or, if you're "pro traditional relationships" then you must hate homosexuals and be a "homophobe" (made up word)
I know the drill...
And anyway, you should be glad at all the coverage - the sooner it gets reported the sooner it will no longer be a story.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Well, I guess you're partly accurate....The next pawn to push the media's agenda will surface and Sam will be forgotten. So, it will still be a story, just with different "stars".
Quote:Why are people expressing shock that the news media is paying attention to something newsworthy?
That's not an agenda (you're the one with the agenda), that's called news. Anything that causes people not into the NFL to pay attention is, ipso facto, newsworthy.
I'd be more concerned if they weren't paying attention to it, then I'd wonder if they were being told what not to report.
Some people seemed to feel threatened by the whole subject. No one is forced to read or watch anything. And anyway, you should be glad at all the coverage - the sooner it gets reported the sooner it will no longer be a story. Then we can all go back to reading articles about who might be the third-string guard going into OTAs.
I think people are expressing shock that the news media are over-saturating the story like they always do. It's a historic moment for the NFL. But I think it's a bit disingenuous when they over-saturate it like they do. And I think it detracts from all the other players getting drafted.
I look at my kid's reactions to the Michael Sam kiss, and I have hope that the day will come when people look at sexual orientation as nothing newsworthy. (FTR they just asked "Is that his boyfriend?" which is pretty much the same reaction they had to anyone that was shown with their girlfriend)
Quote:I think people are expressing shock that the news media are over-saturating the story like they always do. It's a historic moment for the NFL. But I think it's a bit disingenuous when they over-saturate it like they do. And I think it detracts from all the other players getting drafted.
I look at my kid's reactions to the Michael Sam kiss, and I have hope that the day will come when people look at sexual orientation as nothing newsworthy. (FTR they just asked "Is that his boyfriend?" which is pretty much the same reaction they had to anyone that was shown with their girlfriend)
Thank you for the adult response. I think TMD could learn from you, but I'm not betting on it.
Anyone who is into sports as much as we are should not be surprised in the least at the coverage Sams is getting. This story has been building for years and there is finally a subject that fits the bill. The media will report it and we can chose to pay attention or not.
With 50 news outlets on TV, the internet, Twitter, etc., etc., we can be overwhelmed - but c'mon, we're used to living in the 21st century and we've learned how to deal with it.
Some of us, like TMD, like to play the victim and bemoan an "agenda" or some other silliness, but we all control what comes into our heads. I just can't imagine what all this media attention would have been like in past eras, like the civil rights movement, etc. Would have been interesting.
This too shall pass.
Quote:maybe it makes me some kind of bigot but I just didn't care for the kiss on TV and thought it inappropriate. I get it your gay, fine no problems with me but I don't want to explain to my 6 year old son who's watching TV with me why 2 guys are kissing...........
It would have been a great opportunity to teach your son that same sex love is okay and that he need not hate people based on which consenting adult they chose to live their life with.
Quote:Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Well, I guess you're partly accurate....The next pawn to push the media's agenda will surface and Sam will be forgotten. So, it will still be a story, just with different "stars".
Which media is that? The Fox media? The MSNBC media? The CNN media? Which story line should I be following? I get so confused.
So who do you wait for to tell you what to think, since "the media" seems to control us all?
Quote:Agreed with this ^^^
To me it reaks of agenda. 
(the need to have this big stupid dramatic coming out announcement) What crap.
People sex lives should be no ones business but the people involved.
A lot of people in this thread are making their own personal agendas QUITE known.
Quote:To me, him kissing his boyfriend on national tv was a statement. For a 7th rounder, he sure is getting a lot of attention. He already got a contract with Visa. Imagine people like Tiquan Underwood, Storm Johnson, and Rashad Jennings getting a contract with Visa and selling the second most jerseys after the draft. Not the same is it? I'm all for gay marriage, i have quite a few lesbian friends, but like religion you shouldn't go around and throwing it in peoples faces.
Tell me, exactly how is this different than a straight player kissing his girlfriend again?