The St. Louis Rams' camp has settled down into a routine. Rookie defensive lineman Michael Sam, the first openly gay athlete to be drafted into the NFL, has been under much scrutiny since the draft. After being caught on ESPN kissing his boyfriend a whole slew of ignorant hateful people got on the internet and posted homophobic rants. Now that the noise has died down a little bit, Sam is ready to get back to business.
When Sam was drafted it was a big deal. Not only because he's openly gay, but also because he kissed his partner on live television. And the cruel backlash that ensued showed how far we really need to go as a country (via Deadspin):
"There's nothing new about a draftee celebrating with a significant other, or cameras focusing on her. Hell, sometimes they are openly drooled over; Lauren Tannehill almost broke Twitter when she showed up during the draft. It's not even the first time someone's been drafted and kissed his girlfriend. But since it's two gay men kissing and embracing, it's too much for people (even the ones who say they aren't homophobic!)."
Fortunately, the glare of the spotlight has died down a little bit. Though there are still people out there who hold the opinion that Sam doesn't belong, he's ready to just concentrate on playing football (via USA Today):
"Now he's just another rookie. Sam said it's a welcome development.
"'It's been a long time coming,' Sam said. 'Last year, during this time, I was already playing football past spring practice. But you know what? It felt good to put my helmet on and get out there. Grind.'"
Now that he doesn't have a docu-series to shoot Sam can get back to doing what he does best- playing football.
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