Michael Sam is Gay; What’s the Big Deal?

Michael Sam Talking to the Media

For a second, I thought we were living back in 1984. But with one blink of the eye, I realized we are still in the year 2014. In a progressive society that has seen the legalization of same sex marriages, I’m still scratching my head wondering what is the big deal with a professional football player being gay (Michael Sam in particular).

 Instead of breaking down film, sizing up his physical attributes and debating whether or not Sam will be a “beast” or a “bust” as an NFL player, we are subjected to placing bets on whether he will be drafted by a team because of his sexual orientation. What does who he’s dating have to do with how many plays for a loss he’ll get per season or if he can make an open field tackle? If you want to poll the NFL players and coaches, the proposed question should be “If a gay player would make you a Super Bowl contender, would you want him on your team? Any real player or coach who is about winning should hopefully say yes. Sam will get paid to do what every other player gets paid to do and that’s “make plays.” It doesn’t matter if he is being championed for being brave in “coming out of the closet” before NFL Draft day. If he can’t make the transition to the next level, he won’t be around long. Then he will become just another novelty story, a brief blip in history. That is the real story.

NFL Replacement Referee Fiasco

Controversial call during the Packers-Seahawks game

The runaway train known as the "NFL Replacement Refs" has wrecked, and the cleanup will be impossible if not tended to soon. Sure I get it, I am down with the referees going on strike to get the their due compensation for the thankless job that they do on a weekly basis. However, this is creating a black eye for the entire league. We have people speaking about how much money these mistakes are going to cost the bookies.We have Presidential Candidates expressing their disapproval of the job the new refs are doing. Players are going as far as to say they will not play this week if the "first string" refs don't officiate the upcoming games. Come on...... Really!

First of all the players need to just focus on executing their plays and leave it at that. The referees union did not speak out when the players took their leave of absence. Secondly, some one please tell the coaches to keep their hands off of the refs. The coach may just get what he is looking for if he messes with the wrong person. Third, the machine known as the NFL is raking in so much money, they probably don't know what to do with it besides stick it into the owners "Fat Pockets." You see how valuable quality refs are to the game. I think they have proved their worth.

Finally, the best referees try to make themselves invisible in the game, meaning they keep out of the spotlight and try not to affect the outcome of the games. A great ref is one who prides himself on making sure he/she gets the call right, not worrying about how they look when reversing a blown call. That seems like the total opposite with the current staff. Did you see how fast the referees ran off the field after botched call (my opinion) on the field goal that gave the Ravens the victory over the Patriots. And what were the referees looking at under the hood (instant replay) during the Packers/Sea hawks game. Were they looking at a 3-D view without using the accompanying glasses? If all of America can see indisputable evidence that the Packer's defender was the one who caught the ball, why can't they see it?

Memo to the NFL, do not take to long in getting resolution in this situation. You may lose the many fans that you have gained in the last few years. And that's a blow that you cannot afford.

Sports Jedi