As a New York Giants fan, it’s a problem that Connor Barwin joined the Eagles last year both because he’s very good and because he seems to have fixed the locker room problem the Eagles were having the previous year. It’s interesting to read his take on NFL locker rooms and how they will do in accepting Michael Sam as the first openly gay football player in the league’s history. Maybe it’s because Barwin has a gay older brother, or maybe it is just because he’s a decent guy, but he has no issue with the sexual orientation of his teammates and he doesn’t think many other players will either. Maybe more importantly, Barwin thinks Sam can do a lot to open minds.
The most effective way to overcome bigotry is through personal relationships. My older brother, Joe, is gay. I think most guys in the NFL know someone or know someone who knows someone who’s gay. But for some guys in this league, Michael Sam will be the first openly gay man they have ever met. He has a great opportunity to change the stereotypes that many in this country associate with homosexuality. Football is a game where people from all walks of life come together for a common cause, and the game has the unique ability to serve as grounds for social progress. (You guys saw “Remember The Titans,” right?) Michael Sam’s biggest challenge won’t be running backs or offensive lineman. It will be the media.
My workplace is not the typical American workplace. It’s far from perfect, but then again, so are we. And, maybe, so is this sport we play. When it’s all said and done, we all will miss the screaming fans, the big games, the packed stadiums, the adrenaline of competition. But the thing I hear the most from guys who retire is how much they miss the locker room. Something tells me that’s not going to change if I share mine with someone who just so happens to have a different sexual orientation.
Too bad Barwin plays for the enemy. If the Eagles draft Michael Sam, he’ll have a great teammate in the linebacker group. But the Giants probably needs Sam’s services more. He was the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. And the Giants need linebackers.
