Quote:No, the place for the coverage of it is on NFL network and ESPN, where a young gay man interested in football will actually see the coverage. Your statement really gets to the crux of the issue, your idea that not only should gay people be made to feel unaccepted, but that the media should insulate you from things you feel uncomfortable with.

 

Personally, while I support gay rights, I think the media has done Michael Sam a disservice.   He's not Jackie Robinson.  Jackie Robinson was a great player.   As a great player, he deserved plenty of media coverage.   Michael Sam is a very marginal player, with the downside that he brings a media circus with him.   When you're a marginal player, the last thing you need is to haul around that kind of baggage.  Most coaches won't like having a guy on the practice squad who is being followed around by the media, half of whom appear to want nothing more than to find some instance of mistreatment or discrimination.  It's a major distraction.  Coaches and GMs will say, "Do I really need this?"   For Jackie Robinson, yes, it was worth it because he was a great player.   But it's just not worth it for a practice squad player like Michael Sam.  I really understand why people are sick of hearing about the guy.   It's massive media overkill.  The players have accepted him, but the media won't let it alone.  Coaches in particular have enough on their plate without having to answer 10 questions a day about a guy on the practice squad.  

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