“Michael Sam hopes to get past “gay” label and just
play football.” (SportsIllustrated) NFL prospect Michael Sam announced to the
public that he was gay, making him the first publicly gay player in the
National Football League. Sports Illustrated article announced that Sam is
proud of coming out and hope that it encourages others of his non-dominant
group to do so too, but he wanted to focus on football.
Homosexuals are a non-dominant group in our society
but especially in men’s sports. A New York Times article said that there are no
publicly gay athletes in the NFL, NBA, or the NHL. Sam could play a huge part
in the gay rights movement in our society.
An article in the LA Times discussed how Sam coming
out could possibly affect his NFL career. A source in the New York Times
article labeled sexuality and him coming out as unnecessary and possibly a
distraction to him and others in the league.
http://youtu.be/v2Vld8duOik
I chose this case as an example of a non-dominate
group in our society because I believe It clearly link a label, gay, to co-culture
theory. By labeling himself as gay and announcing it to the public there were
bound to be different reactions between cultures. “I just want to make sure I could tell my story the way I
want to tell it,” said Mr. Sam, who also spoke with ESPN on Sunday. “I just
want to own my truth.”
Social position is
defined as, “the places in which people speak that are socially constructed and
thus embedded with assumptions about gender, race, class, age, sexuality and so
on.” (Nakayama 245) Because Sam has always been gay he has always been in a
non-dominate group according to his sexuality but after announcing it he is
socially constructed into this group. People have now placed a label on him
that could change peoples perceptions or feelings toward him. “There are guys in locker rooms that maturity-wise cannot handle
it or deal with the thought of that,” an assistant coach, who wished to remain
anonymous, told SI. “There’s nothing more sensitive than the heartbeat of the
locker room. If you knowingly bring someone in there with that sexual
orientation, how are the other guys going to deal with it? It’s going to be a
big distraction.” There are obviously people who will not accept Sams sexuality
and do not agree with him coming out, but there has also been great feedback
from a lot of fans. It is important to know that how you speak and convey
yourself will directly affect how people perceive you and their assumptions of
you.
Kate,
ReplyDeleteI liked your post because I knew nothing about this situation. It will be interesting to see if he actually helps other gay athletes to come out.
Great blog! Very well developed. I appreciate your answer to the question about social position. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteKate,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. It was super interesting to read your connection with his story and social position.