Now that Mizzou All American Michael Sam has come out and announced that he is gay, he is being called courageous. I think we are getting closer to the day whern coming out will be just par for the course. I hope so, because in reality it is really none of your or my business who Michael Sam or anyone else sleeps with.
The story here is that Michael Sam beat all the whispers to the punch. No need to wake up and read it online from a rumor monger. Sam said it starts and ends with him making the claim. Now the story has nowhere else to go. Good for him.
The NFL Combine is coming up soon, and some questions will be posed. Before the team execs start going TMZ here they may want to think about not prying too much, as they could come out looking like homophobes. Just stick to football, fellas. After all, that is why you are here in the first place.
Sam’s football credentials are impressive, as he was voted the best defensive player in the best football conference in America. Interestingly enough, there was not one mention of Sam’s sexual preference during the season, because it did not matter then as it does now. His teammates and coaching staff should be commended, as they respected his wish to not make this a distraction during the season. You can appreciate the maturity and respect they showed for a family member.
I can only congratulate Michael Sam for stepping out there where few have chosen to step. The hard part is now over for him. The rest of it will be up to those around him who have to decide whether to make it an issue or not. As for the relentless fans who may think it cute to utter vulgar slurs, your issues are your own.
Not Smart
By now you have seen and heard about Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart and his dust up with a fan from Texas Tech. According to Texas Tech officials, the fan, Jeff Orr, is “an air traffic controller who travels thousands of miles to see the Red Raiders play.” That is a ringing endorsement for the booster club at Texas Tech, but I am not sure if that’s enough to exonerate him from what appears to be consistently boorish behavior.
Orr has since apologized for calling Smart “a piece of crap.” Does anyone buy this one? Sorry, no sale. Players hear a lot of things, and “piece of crap” comes from fans in some cases. Texas Tech was taking care of their own here, I get it. It does not make it right, though. This is not Orr’s first run in with players from other teams, as several have come out in describing their moments within an earshot of Jeff Orr. They tell a similar story.
Smart was demonized by some in the media. I was shocked that they did not drop a “thug” reference here. No one questioned the character of the person who started it. Oh wait, Texas Tech’s description of Orr was enough.
No one wanted to hear from Smart, who was admittedly wrong for pushing a fan. Some wanted Smart’s blood, if not his head. Anyone have a rope? It sounded like they wanted to teach him a lesson. None of those who elected to try, convict and execute Smart gave a thought to being in his shoes for a minute.
I was taken back to the movie 42, which depicted the plight of Jackie Robinson as he was trying to break the color barrier of Major League Baseball in the late1940s. Robinson was called a lot of things, yet he continued to turn the other cheek. He was commended for it, and many thought his actions paved the way for more African Americans to play major league ball. Noble to say the least, but this is 2014 and no man should have to take what Marcus Smart had to endure.
Jeff Orr paid his money to watch a basketball game, not level insults and slurs at other individuals. The media here obviously thought it was OK. While I would not advocate for Smart to put his hands on a fan unless he felt like he had to defend himself, steps should have been taken to insure better fan behavior.
To his credit, Smart did apologize for his actions without the help of a written statement. He took it like a man, unlike the person who started this mess. Smart got suspended for three games by the Big 12, but what happens to Orr? He started it.
Roll, Bills, roll
Is there anything more riveting is St. Louis sports right now than the run of the St. Louis University Billikens? They are setting school records left and right, and they are fun to watch.
Before you start in on the schedule, that comes from the higher ups. The Bills just beat who is on it. With some teams in front of them going down this week, to see them rise this high in the rankings is certainly a reward for all those long-suffering fans and broadcasters.
This is no fluke, folks. They are for real and deserve your support. Jim Crews and his staff have done a masterful job in putting this program on the right track. The Billikens are now a program that local players should take a hard look at. St. Louis University is good enough for good players now.
Nice to see things going so well, but as we all know with college basketball, it is all about the month of March. It could be quite a long run.
