This whole thing angers me for several reasons. Apparently Josina Anderson, reporter for ESPN, never listened to Salt N’ Pepa because she would have known that nosing around the St. Louis Rams’ training facility asking about the 411 on the shower “sitch” ever since Michael Sam showed up is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Or anybody’s, for that matter. Nor does anybody probably care, either. Except maybe those people that stand outside the stadiums on Sunday with giant signs telling everyone that they’re going to hell. If you haven’t seen the clip, you can watch it here. I know, it’s the worst, right? It’s awkward and gross. It’s like that guy in the office who is 32 years old but then comes up to the water cooler and says something you might hear out of a college freshman frat boy’s mouth. Everybody kind of just looks at him and then walks away uncomfortably.
I’m further disappointed by the lack of judgment on the part of Ms. Anderson. Women already struggle for equality in the workforce, especially when it comes to sports journalism. You still don’t often see women behind a sports desk, and if you do, it’s usually because they are moderating the conversation. I like to think that women are constantly underrated for their ability to use calculated analysis and research to report on a topic, rather than ranting at a T.V. camera for the sake of ratings. This is especially true with the NFL, where there hasn’t been a former professional female athlete to contribute to the conversation, therefore invalidating her thoughts to every dude sitting on their couch in sweatpants shoving potato chips in his mouth. The fact that Ms. Anderson took it upon herself to seek out information from Sam’s teammates about showering rituals ever since the openly gay man joined the squad shows a lack of journalistic integrity. It is fodder for gossip junkies, and has no place in what is supposed to be the foremost sports journalism establishment in this country. It distracts from team morale and is the exact reason why athletes fear outing themselves: not only because it causes unnecessary distraction from their jobs and for their teammates, but it undermines their focus as well.
A fellow columnist suggested that Sam’s showering habits do in fact matter, likening this situation to that of Jackie Robinson’s integration into the Dodgers in 1947. I respectfully have to disagree. Homophobia is not the new racism; both are still very alive in 2014 (need we even mention what’s going on in nearby Ferguson?) ESPN’s apology may have been trying to bury the situation, but it isn’t returning Sam’s gayness into a “realm of abstraction.” Here’s the thing: you can’t speculate as to a man’s general preference for hygiene based on what other players on the team may or may not have speculated about his showering habits. You have to respect an individual’s personal preferences and privacy in places like a bathroom or a shower. This is not the opportunity to speculate as to suppression of Sam’s sexuality by Coach Jeff Fisher or the NFL in its entirety. Yes, we need to acknowledge and provide consideration to those that are marginalized, and we need to celebrate and welcome the LGBT community into professional sports. This is not the vehicle for that movement.
If Ms. Anderson wants the opportunity to report about how the first openly gay player “fits in” with his team, maybe she should start by not making it about assimilation in the first place. Perhaps she should highlight how it’s really not a big deal at all. He’s gay. He’s African American. He’s also a very talented football player, and is obviously incredibly strong to be where he is facing that sort of adversity. Profile him throughout the preseason, documenting his successful plays or even his missteps. But generating this kind of conversation only serves to further the idea that gay players don’t belong in the NFL just like people thought they didn’t belong in the military (or anywhere else for that matter) because they might cause a distraction or make people uncomfortable. Most of Sam’s teammates have vocalized that this is not the case, and even if there are interpersonal issues with Sam’s sexuality, that’s for the players to address as adults and teammates, not for the press to generate.
I cheer and applaud Michael Sam for everything he has accomplished. But when the Rams come to Seattle, I’ll root against him just like I do any time a division rival comes to town.
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