Reaction to Michael Sam reveals media hypocrisy

By Hannah Bleau | gargoyle@flagler.edu

As an avid football fan, I was surprised to see the media’s reaction to the first openly gay player, Michael Sam. Honestly, I didn’t think it deserved that much attention. Last time I checked, most football fans don’t care about the love life of the players.

The entire situation is a marvelous display of progressive hypocrisy. Anyone remember Tim Tebow, the man who shamelessly expressed his devotion to God? Though Tebow was continuously mocked for his beliefs and actions, the NFL never made a big deal out of it.

I’ve also heard the counter argument: “NFL players weren’t mean to Tebow! No one discriminated against him! No one made fun of him!”

Of course discrimination occurred. Let’s be honest. Who hasn’t seen nasty tweets and comments about Tim Tebow?

The difference is the mainstream media didn’t care, so no one heard about it. Tebow also didn’t whine like a baby when someone made fun of his beliefs, and that goes for most followers of Christ. Christians know who they are and they’re used to society hating them for it.

Unfortunately, having a relationship with God and the concept of absolute truth in general is totally unpopular in today’s society and culture. The media is backwards.

Back to the NFL and the fans, I have a great idea. Let’s see how many times players get in trouble for “offending” Sam or the gay community in the next year. After all, it has already started. Don Jones, safety for the Miami Dolphins, has already been penalized for negative tweets towards Sam and he’s not the only one getting in trouble.

Defensive end at Florida State University, DeMarcus Walker, tweeted something else out that has caused a stir.

Y’all praise Michael Sam for being gay but y’all mocked Tim Tebow for being a Christian. Smh #Society

— DeMarcus Walker (@livinglegend_44) May 11, 2014

It’s sad because it’s true. I definitely don’t think Tim Tebow should have received a medal of honor for writing John 3:16 on his face, but why does Michael Sam get called a hero for kissing his boyfriend?

The answer is simple. There’s a complete double standard. When people disagreed with Tebow’s acts of faith, they were never questioned. But now, one player has already been penalized for expressing his thoughts on Sam’s kissing picture. Not only is that totally unfair, but it makes no sense. If criticism of Tebow was considered “freedom of expression and thought”, why is criticism of Sam’s picture deemed as “homophobic hate speech?”

Don’t get me wrong. I have no ill will towards gay people, but if you find all your identity in your sexual orientation and have to flaunt it absolutely all the time, there must be another underlying issue.

If the gay community really wants to be treated the same, then why aren’t we treating them the same? Why does one of the last players to be drafted get a bunch of special attention? Why did ESPN find it necessary to show Sam kissing his boyfriend? If the gay community wants to be treated the same, they should stop expecting special treatment.

Why is it that someone can express their thoughts on everything BUT anything to do with the gay community? Having an opinion that goes against the mainstream doesn’t automatically make you a bigot or a homophobe.

I’m really disappointed to see the PC police on the prowl in the NFL. I don’t care if Michael Sam is gay, and I hope he gets a fair shot in NFL, but I’m sick of the media’s manipulative mind games. I don’t want to see the media fawning over him kissing his gay lover. If it helps, I don’t care to see any of the other players make out with their girlfriends either.

The truth is, being gay doesn’t make you a hero. It’s the media that’s obsessed with it. Prove yourself to be a good football player with good character and you’ll gain respect, but it’s ridiculous to expect everyone to shower Sam with compliments and admiration just because he’s gay. He should be held to the same standard as everyone else.

Some people say they don’t like Tim Tebow because he’s not a good football player and that’s fine. Watch what will happen if Michael Sam turns out to be a lousy player. I can see the reaction now: “You just don’t like him because he’s gay!”