Ex-Missouri defensive end Michael Sam came out and told the world that he is gay. That's huge in the NFL since the macho culture of the NFL has traditionally kept such announcements under wraps, but Sam thought that it was the right time for him to make his announcement. Now the biggest test for Sam will be whether he will get drafted by a team and in what round. There are teams out there that have had gay players in their locker room, but none have been open about it and as much support as Sam has gotten on Twitter from current or former NFL players I think the ignorant folks will have their say. Whether it be ignorant statements through the media or just play ol' ignorant chants from the stands. If Sam isn't like Vince Young who couldn't take all the attacks from fans he should be fine, but that's if he's drafted.
A couple years back an active player in the NFL made anti-gay comments during a radio interview and he was slaughtered on Twitter, but there was no fine or suspension from the league. There are still ignorant people in the NFL as there are in society in general so I'm not sure if there is going to be a general manager out there who is willing to take on the distraction of having the "first openly gay player" in professional American sports. That is a huge title for a sport that's known for (like I mentioned earlier) it's macho culture. Good for Sam for coming out and being ready to take on the challenge, but he shouldn't be surprised if he's either the last pick in the draft or go undrafted all together.
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