NFL.com - Orders for Michael Sam jerseys are ranking squarely with some
of the NFL draft's biggest names, including defensive end Jadeveon
Clowney and
quarterbacks Johnny
Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy
Bridgewater.
Brian
McCarthy, the NFL's vice president of communications, reports via Twitter that
those five players lead the
early demand among
rookies. The rankings were tracked from sales at
nflshop.com.
Added NFL
PR's Joanna Hunter: "It is unprecedented for a Day 3 draft pick to be one
of the top five rookies sold during draft weekend."
Manziel's
jersey is atop the list, followed by Sam's, then those of Clowney, Bridgewater
and Bortles. It's no doubt the first time a seventh-round draft choice has, at
least initially, outsold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, not to mention
three first-round quarterbacks. But as the NFL's first openly gay draft choice,
Sam's pro career is set to create firsts of all kinds. The next goal for Sam:
Become the NFL's first openly gay player to make a 53-man roster.
He'll be
challenged to do so with his new team, the St. Louis
Rams, in part because the club already has one of the NFL's best
tandems at his defensive end position in Robert Quinn and Chris Long.
But if jersey
sales are any indication, he has plenty of people rooting for him to succeed.
Choo Choo! Act now
or be banished to the seventh circle of hell!
NFL is selling
these jerseys, in Men’s, Women’s, and Youth sizes, like hotcakes.
Great that this guy
is being accepted for whom he really is: a sport’s active first openly gay
athlete. But the whole situation is tough because the minute you say anything
negative in the same sentence and include Sam’s name you will be instantly
labeled as a homophobe.
ESPN did live
coverage of him getting drafted (out of the seventh round by the way) and how
he proceeded to have a wedding-esque cake fight with his boyfriend who, and
being completely honest here, catches. Too much PDA. I would have felt awkward
had this been AJ McCarron and Katherine Webb. Full blown awkward moment.
Then there was his
press conference after he was officially named/signed as a St. Louis Ram. It
was the awkward office meeting Michael Scott calls when he finds out that Oscar
is gay. Reporters were asking him the most outlandish questions. Do you think
your sexuality affected where you went in the draft? How was your secret [about
your sexuality] kept? And what were you referring to? Seems like you have had a
difficult path and difficult set of circumstances, how did and do you deal with
that? Has someone said something to you [about your sexuality] or do you think
they will? How do you handle the negativity and comments on social media about
you?
Fully expected one
to get up on stage and try to hug/kiss the guy. Then yell out, “I did it! I did
it!”
Sounded like a
kindergarten show and tell circle; um, um, um can you tell us what’s it like to
be gay mister? Do you get upset when people call you names? Are they stinky heads?
Only Billy Madison would have made this better, “Woah, woah, woah Mr. Sam has
the right idea. You can’t just give up when someone calls you a name on or off
the field. You get your ass out there and make a fucking play!”
Christ. They beat around
the bush fierce and basically wanted to know what it’s like to be a gay man. If
someone really wanted to make a splash at this thing they should have asked him
does he use throwing around his boyfriend like a ragdoll as practice for when
haters are going to hate and he needs to make a “big play”.
You do you Michael
Sam. Haters gonna hate and Slaters gonna slate.
PS
Expect an ear full
from anyone and everyone if you make the team. Thought the Ritchie Incognito
scandal was bad. Can’t wait for Sam to make a mental note of everything said to
him and comes out with a book.
Double PS
I don’t want to be
labeled as a conspiracy theorist, but what if this is a sneaky move science
project by Sam? Like got all of you good, I’m not gay! Just wanted to see what
would happen. I’ve had babies and baby mamas this whole time!
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