Sam and Hansen — Men of Great Inner Strength and Character

Who are Michael Sam and Dale Hansen and why are they forever connected?

Robin Young, host of NPR’s Here and Now in Texas Sportscaster’s Commentary On Gay Athletes Goes Viral sets the stage:

Well, there’s been a lot of reaction this week to the revelation from Missouri defensive lineman and NFL prospect Michael Sam that he is gay. Teammates in his school tweeted support. But some NFL scouts, speaking anonymously to Sports Illustrated, said this would hurt Michael Sam’s chances in the spring’s NFL draft, to which WFAA Dallas sportscaster Dale Hansen had a response.

Hansen to Young:

I do think there’s just a big difference between being in that proverbial closet and being open. I think it’s gonna be a hard road for Michael Sam, but what I am encouraged by is just listening to him talk. He seems to be a young man of great character, of great inner-strength, and if somebody has to pick up this sword and lead this fight, he might be one of the most well-equipped young men to do it. And I certainly hope so, because as we saw in the SportsIllustrated.com article, eight different NFL officials — quoted anonymously, of course — saying that they would not be comfortable with a gay man in the locker room, and yet, they welcome so many others who have committed such heinous crimes. And it just offends me, the hypocrisy of that position. I’m hoping that, obviously, that will begin to change.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Olc5C4SXAYM%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Here’s the text of Hansen’s video essay:

You beat a woman and drag her down a flight of stairs, pulling her hair out by the roots, you’re the fourth guy taken in the NFL draft. You kill people while driving drunk, that guy’s welcome. Players caught in hotel rooms with illegal drugs and prostitutes, we know they’re welcome.

You love another man, well now you’ve gone too far. It wasn’t that long ago when we were being told that black players couldn’t play in our games because it would be uncomfortable. And even when they finally could, it took several more years before a black man played quarterback because we weren’t comfortable with that either.

So many of the same people who used to make that argument, and the many who still do, are the same people who say government should stay out of our lives but then want government in our bedrooms. I’ve never understood how they feel comfortable laying claim to both sides of that argument.

I’m not always comfortable when a man tells me he’s gay; I don’t understand his world, but I do understand that he’s part of mine. Civil rights activist Audre Lord said it is not our differences that divide us, it is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.

We should all aspire to lead like Sam and Hansen. Thanks, Robin.

Tweet: Sam @MikeSamFootball, Hansen @dalehansen and Young @hereandnowrobin