I suppose I should take this seriously, Maybe I will, if I can ever stop laughing:
After it found itself at the epicenter of a storm of criticism over a report on the shower habits of Michael Sam, the first openly gay player on an NFL roster, and his teammates, ESPN responded Wednesday morning with a further statement on the report.
“ESPN regrets the manner in which we presented our report. Clearly yesterday we collectively failed to meet the standards we have set in reporting on LGBT-related topics in sports.”
On Tuesday, while providing an update about Sam’s quest to make the St. Louis Rams’ final roster, reporter Josina Anderson said that a Rams “defensive player told me that ‘Sam is respecting our space’ and that, from his perspective, he seems to think that Michael Sam is waiting to take a shower, as not to make his teammates feel uncomfortable.”
What's laughable, of course, is watching those obsessed with political correctness (including now, apparently, the folks at ESPN) tie themselves into knots. Michael Sam's entry into the NFL is an unprecedented event of historic proportions! Oh, no, wait, we're supposed to treat this just like any other "new guy in the NFL" ho-hum story. Can't have it both ways, guys.
Sorry, ESPN, but "what about the shower?" is one of the first things most people will think of when they hear "first gay in the NFL." It's a very natural thing to be curious about, isn't it? Will he feel uncomfortable? Will his teammates? How will they work it out.
And it seems like they are working it out very well. No big deal to his teammates, and he's going out of his way in an effort to not make them uncomfortable. They all seem to be handling it better than ESPN, in, you know, a mature and civilized manner. Remember the grief Tony Dungy got for saying he probably wouldn't have drafted Sam because of all the media crap? I think some people own him an apology.
