WAIT!!!! I thought it was Obama’s fault for ESPN’s current demise but then I was told it was too many talkies and not not enough action, yet now we can blame the all Michael Sam coverage from 2015?! There’s no doubt ESPN’s 24/7 coverage of a certain “it” pro athlete turns people stomachs over time (do I really have to list names), but Michael Sam? Oh I get it, the political agenda thingy – PB/TK
How ESPN Became A Conservative Cause – By Steven Perlberg May 2 2017
It started with Michael Sam.
On May 10, 2014, Sam became the first openly gay player to be selected in the National Football League Draft. After his college career as a defensive end at the University of Missouri, Sam came out publicly, quickly turning him into a household name, a national LGBT icon, and a magnet for media attention.
But Sam, once predicted to be a second or third-round pick, struggled during the NFL Combine, the scouting showcase for college football players. League executives, controversially granted anonymity by Sports Illustrated, told the magazine that Sam’s decision to come out might hurt his draft prospects.
So emotions were running high when Sam was chosen in the draft’s last round by the St. Louis Rams — the 249th of 256 players. ESPN, the sports cable behemoth, captured the historic moment on television: Sam gets the call that he has been drafted, breaks down crying, and kisses his boyfriend.
For ESPN, it was a barrier-breaking piece of TV: an interracial gay couple — one of whom is on his way to the most culturally significant, macho profession in America — embracing in a moment of triumph. One year later, the Supreme Court would rule in favor of national marriage equality.
Continue to buzzfeed.com article: https://www.buzzfeed.com/stevenperlberg/how-espn-became-a-conservative-cause?utm_term=.hn4bboerkd#.gx8oo6A327
