Earlier this year, plans were announced by OWN for a Michael Sam reality series, following the Rams draft pick through training camp as the league’s first openly gay player. The series was quashed shortly after the announcement because of Sam’s desire to focus on football. With the season wrapping up, and Sam languishing in free agency after a stint on the Cowboys practice squad, OWN will air a documentary focusing on Sam called “Michael Sam” at 9 PM on December 27th. Following the documentary, Oprah Winfrey will conduct the first televised interview with Sam following his release.
I think it’s pretty telling that what was supposed to be an ongoing series has been crunched down into a 90 minute special. The media crush surrounding Sam slowed over the summer, picked back up when he was cut, and virtually disappeared during his brief tenure on the Cowboys practice squad. I’m curious as to whether or not this special, focusing on a marginal football player, will do more to hurt his cause of playing in the league than help it.
While Sam’s story is inspiring, he’s been cut by two teams, and the expected “distractions” weren’t nearly as severe as what we’ve seen this fall from the disastrous situations involving Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson. If he wants to play in the league and be known as a football player rather than a gay football player, starring in a documentary on OWN probably isn’t the best course of action for his career.
[OWN]
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