rgbilliken Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Maybe it shouldn't be a big deal. But it is. Because he's the first. For some reason, NFL players or prospective draft picks haven't been coming out in droves. One explanation for this is that there simply have never been any gay NFL players. A more probable explanation is that there's still a huge stigma to being a gay professional athlete, when pro athletes are expected to uphold a very specifically prescribed version of masculinity. Sam is trying to change that. No reason we can't tip our hats to him on this board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenLaw Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 So, based on your previous racist comment, you are going to lump me in with your prejudiced view of stereotypes. Not ironic at all is it? Why are you being so cryptic, vague and incoherent? What racist comment are you even talking about? What prejudiced view of stereotypes? What irony? Look, when I say your experience of reality is warped, and Billiken Rich says you're on the wrong side of history, we're not just saying these things for the sake of an attempt at ruffling your feathers. What we mean is that your approach to this issue is literally shared by what is (thankfully) a rapidly-shrinking minority. For evidence of this, one needs to look no further than, oh, I dunno, practically every reply in this thread from people that are not you. Or every reply in this thread. Or comments made on the large, currently climbing number of facebook posts regarding this breaking story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckFayton Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Or, you know, straight people want to support people who aren't viewed as equals or who don't get equal protection under the law. What a stupid fad. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Band Legend Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Life has been much better for me since I put AlumniFan on ignore several months ago. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't quote his idiocy so I wouldn't have to be reminded that we went to the same school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 All I'm going to say on this topic is, Don't dare compare this to Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball! (I'm not addressing anyone in particular.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milwaukeebill Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 All I'm going to say on this topic is, Don't dare compare this to Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball! (I'm not addressing anyone in particular.) Fair enough. But I think it is a water shed moment. And for people of my generation (born in 89) having never seen robinson play and not seeing any of the civil rights movement, this is the major social issue of our day. I don't want to compare but it is massive. I agree not as massive as jackie though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastBilliken Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Good for him! Maybe we can all not give a ###### now and others can start to come out freely as well. You old timers need to start getting over it. The way someone else was born shouldn't get you all up in a tizzy. The young generations, Republican (like myself) or Democrat, rich or poor, could care less if you are gay as is evident with how his teammates handled the situation. It would be best to get on the right side of history now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillikenLaw Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Fair enough. But I think it is a water shed moment. And for people of my generation (born in 89) having never seen robinson play and not seeing any of the civil rights movement, this is the major social issue of our day. I don't want to compare but it is massive. I agree not as massive as jackie though. Right. I'm not sure Mr. Sam will need to endure the same level of open hostility, death threats, and epithets that Robinson did, and the civil rights landscape in those days was probably incomparably different from what it is today, but this is still undeniably a very "big deal." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 For better or worse, a potential NFL player that is openly g a y is pretty big news. Also, it has a regional connection. Not sure what Alumnifan's issue is here. Alumnifan had better not listen to mike and mike tomorrow. About 95% of the show will be devoted to this topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidnark Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 All I'm going to say on this topic is, Don't dare compare this to Jackie Robinson's breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball! (I'm not addressing anyone in particular.) Thicks, that shouldn't be out of bounds at all. If you have played or been close to sports over the last several decades--particularly football--you would recognize that a certain anti-gay machoism has been part of the culture. This guy is going to get hate mail, death threats, etc. just like Jackie did back in his day. I don't think there is a better analogy anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Why are you being so cryptic, vague and incoherent? What racist comment are you even talking about? What prejudiced view of stereotypes? What irony? Look, when I say your experience of reality is warped, and Billiken Rich says you're on the wrong side of history, we're not just saying these things for the sake of an attempt at ruffling your feathers. What we mean is that your approach to this issue is literally shared by what is (thankfully) a rapidly-shrinking minority. For evidence of this, one needs to look no further than, oh, I dunno, practically every reply in this thread from people that are not you. Or every reply in this thread. Or comments made on the large, currently climbing number of facebook posts regarding this breaking story. I am sensitive to this subject (and similar ones) for a good reason. A very good friend of mine who never came out publicly was incensed, about 8 or 10 years ago, when we were sitting at the bar in Cardwell's shortly before Christmas, and a women he knew came up and with a big smile said "I'm so glad you came out". To which he replied, "I never 'came out' and my personal life is none of your business." I have known he was *** since high school. I never made an issue about it, never really brought it up. He knew I knew and that was fine. Same with a few other common friends. Nonetheless, after the Cardwell's incident, he would say that a person's sexual preference is no one else's business. He would joke that if I liked blondes or brunettes, he didn't care and no one else should either. I have heard him say to others when it comes up, why do you care and why do you define me by my sexual preference and he would always lament the circus around famous people coming out. That is when my opinion on all of this changed. He also told me that there were plenty of guys that he knew that had no desire to make a public statement but because someone else made big deal about it, they were forced to acknowledge something, in a public way, that they simply did not desire to publicly acknowledge. This is obviously a big deal to some people. My question is, is it a big deal for the right reasons? All I initially posted was "WHO CARES"? I should have posted something to the effect of "Don't make a big deal about this because of the unintended consequences it creates", but that truly would have been cryptic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Alumnifan had better not listen to mike and mike tomorrow. About 95% of the show will be devoted to this topic. I don't know who Mike and Mike are, but if they are some type of sports show guys, you don't have to worry about me listening to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastBilliken Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 This is obviously a bid deal to some people. My question is, is it a big deal for the right reasons? Lead article on Sports Illustrated says it's going to have a huge impact on his draft stock, with anonymous quotes from League executives. From the article: In blunt terms, they project a significant drop in Sam's draft stock, a publicity circus and an NFL locker room culture not prepared to deal with an openly gay player. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was projected as a mid- to late-round draft pick prior to his announcement. While none of the executives overtly condemned Sam's decision, their opinions illuminated an NFL culture in which an openly gay player -- from the draft room to the locker room -- faces long odds and a lonely path. "I don't think football is ready for it just yet," said an NFL player personnel assistant. "In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man's man game. To call somebody a [gay slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room." Its ridiculous to say that this isn't an issue or not a big deal. Its one hell of a big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kshoe Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I don't know who Mike and Mike are, but if they are some type of sports show guys, you don't have to worry about me listening to them. Ok, then Don't watch the ch 5 news to ought because it was the second overall story... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Lead article on Sports Illustrated says it's going to have a huge impact on his draft stock, with anonymous quotes from League executives. From the article: In blunt terms, they project a significant drop in Sam's draft stock, a publicity circus and an NFL locker room culture not prepared to deal with an openly *** player. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was projected as a mid- to late-round draft pick prior to his announcement. While none of the executives overtly condemned Sam's decision, their opinions illuminated an NFL culture in which an openly *** player -- from the draft room to the locker room -- faces long odds and a lonely path. "I don't think football is ready for it just yet," said an NFL player personnel assistant. "In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man's man game. To call somebody a [*** slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room." Its ridiculous to say that this isn't an issue or not a big deal. Its one hell of a big deal. But hey, it's going to be acceptable in a decade or two. Even if Sam announced it for the wrong reason (publicity or whatever else), it'd still likely result in a net positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Ok, then Don't watch the ch 5 news to ought because it was the second overall story... Actually, AF might want to close his ears and his eyes for the next decade or so. This is probably going to become more commonplace. On the bright side, as it becomes more mainstream it will likely become less newsworthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Lead article on Sports Illustrated says it's going to have a huge impact on his draft stock, with anonymous quotes from League executives. From the article: In blunt terms, they project a significant drop in Sam's draft stock, a publicity circus and an NFL locker room culture not prepared to deal with an openly *** player. Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, was projected as a mid- to late-round draft pick prior to his announcement. While none of the executives overtly condemned Sam's decision, their opinions illuminated an NFL culture in which an openly *** player -- from the draft room to the locker room -- faces long odds and a lonely path. "I don't think football is ready for it just yet," said an NFL player personnel assistant. "In the coming decade or two, it's going to be acceptable, but at this point in time it's still a man's man game. To call somebody a [*** slur] is still so commonplace. It'd chemically imbalance an NFL locker room and meeting room." Its ridiculous to say that this isn't an issue or not a big deal. Its one hell of a big deal. So you quote me saying it is a "big deal to some people" and then you write "Its ridiculous to say that this isn't an issue or not a big deal." What am I missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Actually, AF might want to close his ears and his eyes for the next decade or so. This is probably going to become more commonplace. On the bright side, as it becomes more mainstream it will likely become less newsworthy. Sorry, but I am not going to define someone by their sexuality/sexual preferences. If that is something that you do, Moy, then that is your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quality Is Job 1 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Good for him! Maybe we can all not give a ###### now and others can start to come out freely as well. You old timers need to start getting over it. The way someone else was born shouldn't get you all up in a tizzy. [Grits teeth and bites knuckles.] Thicks, that shouldn't be out of bounds at all. If you have played or been close to sports over the last several decades--particularly football--you would recognize that a certain anti-gay machoism has been part of the culture. This guy is going to get hate mail, death threats, etc. just like Jackie did back in his day. I don't think there is a better analogy anywhere. I just stated my opinion. And now I'm completely bowing out of the discussion. "Thank you all for coming out. Now, have a good night." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastBilliken Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 So you quote me saying it is a "big deal to some people" and then you write "Its ridiculous to say that this isn't an issue or not a big deal." What am I missing? Because your comment that its a big deal to some people was tongue and cheek. Clearly, you would rather no one partakes in this "fad" of admitting there are *** people in the world, and that maybe some industries and people have a huge problem with *** people and that they may be treated as not equals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Sorry, but I am not going to define someone by their sexuality/sexual preferences. If that is something that you do, Moy, then that is your choice. Thanks. I prefer to support a group of people that don't receive equal rights based on something out of their control. If you don't support equal rights, then that is your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moytoy12 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 [Grits teeth and bites knuckles.] I just stated my opinion. And now I'm completely bowing out of the discussion. "Thank you all for coming out. Now, have a good night." A curious response to say the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SluSignGuy Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 I removed the word gay from the "bad word" filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonwich Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 SignGuy, you're a ******. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlumniFan Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Because your comment that its a big deal to some people was tongue and cheek. Clearly, you would rather no one partakes in this "fad" of admitting there are *** people in the world, and that maybe some industries and people have a huge problem with *** people and that they may be treated as not equals. I think we know where you fall... That is totally presumptuous on your part. You are reading into my comment what you want to fit the narrative you want to define me. It was NOT "tongue in cheek". It was that it is a big deal to some people, straight, gay, whatever, but it is not a big deal to everyone and there are some people who probably don't like it for a LOT of different reasons. But it's okay for you to decide how you want to define me so I guess it is okay to be a hypocrite if you are on the popular side of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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