Michael Sam, the SEC defensive player of the year, All-American defensive end and NFL prospect made headlines approximately two weeks ago when he announced that he has a homosexual. Sam went on to say that his teammates at Mizzuo knew he was gay and accepted him and with out their support he would not have been able to publicly come out. None of the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball and hockey) have ever had an openly gay athlete; although some athletes have come out after they retired or stopped playing.
Many outlets have reported on the story and with the recent report of the Miami Dolphins, the media isn't so sure the NFL is quite ready for a homosexual player. It recently came out that members of the Dolphins organization used gay slurs to target other members of the team.
Despite the news from Miami, the NFL thinks that most players will welcome a teammate who is openly gay and that he would be comfortable in the locker room. A survey done by ESPN may have data to back up the NFL's claims.
ESPN surveyed 51 current players and asked them 4 questions.
the survey showed that most players aren't concerned with another's sexual orientation, it also made clear the concerns that players would have with learning how to relate to an openly gay teammate.
Forty-four players said a teammate's sexual orientation didn't matter to them, and 39 said they would be comfortable showering around a gay teammate. But 32 players said they had teammates or coaches who used homophobic slurs last season, and when asked whether an openly gay player would be comfortable in a NFL locker room, just 25 players said yes; 21 said no, while five declined to answer.
While these numbers are great and seem to back the NFL's claims that Sam will be welcomed, they're only the views of 51 players while the there are over 1600 players in the league. I think it's more realistic to believe that players will be more timid around a gay teammate until they get to know him.
Many outlets have reported on the story and with the recent report of the Miami Dolphins, the media isn't so sure the NFL is quite ready for a homosexual player. It recently came out that members of the Dolphins organization used gay slurs to target other members of the team.
Despite the news from Miami, the NFL thinks that most players will welcome a teammate who is openly gay and that he would be comfortable in the locker room. A survey done by ESPN may have data to back up the NFL's claims.
ESPN surveyed 51 current players and asked them 4 questions.
the survey showed that most players aren't concerned with another's sexual orientation, it also made clear the concerns that players would have with learning how to relate to an openly gay teammate.
Forty-four players said a teammate's sexual orientation didn't matter to them, and 39 said they would be comfortable showering around a gay teammate. But 32 players said they had teammates or coaches who used homophobic slurs last season, and when asked whether an openly gay player would be comfortable in a NFL locker room, just 25 players said yes; 21 said no, while five declined to answer.
While these numbers are great and seem to back the NFL's claims that Sam will be welcomed, they're only the views of 51 players while the there are over 1600 players in the league. I think it's more realistic to believe that players will be more timid around a gay teammate until they get to know him.