Michael Sam, the first Division I college football player in history to come out as gay, has generated a firestorm of opinion on the Internet after announcing on ESPN that he is, in fact, a “proudly open gay man.” While the reaction has been mostly positive, publicly anyway, there have been significant pockets of resistance and homophobia in the sports world.
Kent State University suspended wrestler Sam Wheeler indefinitely for a series of anti-gay Tweets that appeared on his Twitter account Monday afternoon, the university announced. “I can’t even watch Sports Center today cause all they are talking about is Marcus Smart or that (slur) from Mizzou…” Wheeler Tweeted. In addition to the initial Tweet, Wheeler responded to two other users with a homophobic slur before Tweeting, “O geez I got all these (slur) boys mad at me now.” Joel Nielsen, the director of athletics at Kent State called the Tweets ‘ignorant’ and added, “On behalf of Kent State University, we consider these comments to be ignorant and not indicative of the beliefs held by our university community as a whole. This is an educational opportunity for all of our student-athletes.”
Meanwhile, Mississippi State Bulldogs tight end Rufus Warren Tweeted, “I don’t have a problem with gay people.. Be happy! But I look down on gay football players. This is a MAN sport! And being gay is now a man[.]” He subsequently locked his Twitter account and publicly apologized.
And executives in the NFL spoke anonymously on how his decision to come out may affect his starting salary and signing bonus. According to Sports Illustrated, “Eight NFL executives and coaches … project a significant drop in Sam’s draft stock” because he is now openly gay. Teams might not want to handle the media attention he brings, and they might be uncomfortable with having a gay teammate, the anonymous league execs say. Judging by the data, a lower draft position — in the seventh round — could drop his salary to around $550,000 a year, while cutting his signing bonus significantly.”
But there were many positive reactions as well. Michelle Obama Tweeted yesterday that, “You’re an inspiration to all of us, @MikeSamFootball. We couldn’t be prouder of your courage both on and off the field. –mo.” And NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth said Monday on ESPN’s Mike & Mike that the league’s players will welcome Sam, who is the first openly gay NFL draft prospect. “I know that the union will accept him with open arms, as will our players,” Foxworth said.
We expect much more as this story unfolds.
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