Bernie's Bits: Overreaction to Michael Sam story

Daily Bits: Overreaction to Michael Sam story
• Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/daily-bits-overreaction-to-michael-sam-story/article_b677de5c-ec82-5bf3-a6bf-0f5ca8123794.html

Good morning.

Here’s a “Take Five” on Rams defensive end Michael Sam, and the overreaction to him on multiple levels.

If you don’t want to read about Mr. Sam, then by all means stop reading now.

1. Rams coach Jeff Fisher overreacted just a bit in his anti-ESPN tirade following the World Wide Leader’s silly report on Michael Sam’s showering regimen at Rams Park. When the Rams chose Sam in the 7th round back in May, they knew he’d receive plenty of attention because of his status as the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. The Rams have actually done an excellent job of coordinating the Sam/Media tango. And Sam has worked hard on football and bonding with teammates instead of getting caught up in media-driven nonsense.

Nothing about Sam’s presence in Rams camp qualifies as a distraction. From the very beginning I resisted the notion that Sam would be a distraction, or that the Rams were incapable of handling a unique situation. And all of that is true. The only people distracted are the media and fans that obsess over Sam’s every movement. That includes Sam’s supporters, Sam’s haters, and the folks who are trying to convince themselves that Sam is a non-story because of his seventh-round status. (More on that in a few moments.)

Even though Sam and the Rams have made the focus on football, sooner or later you knew there’d be some media shenanigans at Rams Park. Well, it finally happened. And it was so ridiculous, when I finally saw the piece it made me laugh. Showering habits? Really? What was ESPN thinking?

I don’t blame Fisher for being irritated. And I commend him and Rams players for sticking up for Sam. But by going off as he did, Fisher drew even more attention to a story that many people would have missed, a story that many wouldn’t have cared about except to chuckle at it for being so goofy.

And though Fisher meant well, the coach elevated Sam’s profile for non-football reasons. Which is something the Rams have sought to avoid. It led to more buzzing about Sam and invited the usual bigots — who like to pretend that they aren’t bigots — to rush in and release more hot air.

The Rams and Sam got through camp without having their facility overrun by a media circus. One hopelessly misguided report doesn’t change that. I would have preferred to see Fisher view this for what it is: an awkward ESPN misstep. But in blowing up the story with his reaction, Fisher turned it into something bigger than it was.

2. Now, about the good people who think Michael Sam isn’t a story, and should be treated like any 7th round draft pick. I’m sorry, but you’re being naive here, and you should know better than this. Here’s the first openly gay NFL player — and whether you like it or not, this represents a significant historical moment in sports and in the culture. And then you have a berserk, celebrity-driven media complex, which transforms Kardashians into celebs for no apparent reason. Then you have the 24-hour news cycle, and 24-hour sports talk, and the bottomless pit of web sites that swallow an endless supply of content — ranging from the meaningful to the trivial, from the serious to the absurd. From a practical standpoint, Michael Sam is good for business. If he wasn’t, then he’d receive little or no attention. That’s how it works.

3. Of course Michael Sam was going to receive attention — and the attention was warranted. And in my opinion, the attention was under control and very much restrained. I’ve actually been surprised that there hasn’t been more Sam coverage. The Rams didn’t had about a normal flow of media traffic visit Rams Park for camp this summer. But here’s what I think is funny about the peeps who say Sam isn’t a story and who have fits when there’s a headline about him: they click on every story about Sam, and watch every TV report on Sam, and enter comments under the online stories about Sam — all the while telling everyone that Sam is a 7th round pick and no one should care. Except that THEY care. Very much so. Because they never shut up about Sam being a non-story.

Moreover, Sam is a Mizzou guy who won SEC Defensive Player of the Year award for the nation’s fifth-ranked team last season. Locally, that creates even more interest in his attempts to make the Rams’ roster. Another late-round draft choice from Mizzou, cornerback E.J. Gaines, has gotten plenty of attention in Rams camp this summer.

4. There’s a lot of junk and trash on TV that I don’t watch. There’s a countless supply of hideous music that I don’t listen to. There are gimmicky electronic gadgets that I don’t buy. There are films that I wouldn’t buy a ticket to if you gave me a $100 viewing bonus. There are MLB broadcast crews that I can’t stand. There are hyped restaurants that simply don’t measure up, and I get tired of hearing about these overrated places. There are athletes that I don’t care about, athletes that receive an irritating amount of saturation coverage. And ESPN is over-the-top crazy at times in the desire to ride a story until it becomes an endless loop that makes rational people seek sedation to avoid going insane. But with all of those things — as much as they bore and annoy me, and as much as ignore them — I would never try to argue that they shouldn’t exist, or that others should ignore them, or that they aren’t a source of pleasure or entertainment or interest for my fellow citizens.

5. There’s no turning back. This is a market-driven culture, and a market-driven nation. And though you may not be personally interested in the progress of a 7th round draft choice who is openly gay — it doesn’t mean you get to decide what everyone else wants to hear about, read about, and watch. It doesn’t work that way, sorry. So here’s what you do with anything that displeases you: ignore it. Totally, completely and without exception. And get over it and accept the reality that other people will follow that which interests them — just as you have the right to do the same.

Finally …

One day, the arrival of an in-the-open gay athlete into a U.S. professional team-sports league won’t be a story. It will be routine. It will be just a matter of playing and competing and performance. But we aren’t there yet. Because of Michael Sam’s relatively peaceful summer, we’re getting closer to that day. But we aren’t there yet.

Thanks for reading …

— Bernie