When a Kiss is More Than a Kiss

“Sports are a microcosm of society,” former World number one professional tennis player and current LGBT rights activist Billie Jean King is reported to have said.

If that is true – both are missing the mark.

Michael Sam, the first openly homosexual player ever to enter the National Football League draft, was taken in the seventh-round by the St. Louis Rams. Because of this certain groups are claiming the late-round pick was because of homophobia.

ESPN claims there, “… were hints of that when Miami Dolphins player Don Jones tweeted “OMG” and “horrible” in reaction to Sam’s on-screen kiss. The tweets were soon deleted.

Jones was then fined an undisclosed amount and must undergo educational training. He has been excused from all team activities until he completes the training.

“We were disappointed to read Don’s tweets,” Coach Joe Philbin said in a statement. “They were inappropriate and unacceptable, and we regret the negative impact these comments had on such an important weekend for the NFL. We met with Don today about respect, discrimination and judgment. These comments are not consistent with the values and standards of our program.”

Jones later apologized for his ‘tweets.’

“I want to apologize to Michael Sam for the inappropriate comments that I made last night on social media. I take full responsibility for them and I regret that these tweets took away from his draft moment,” said Jones in a statement.

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith took issue with the Dolphins’ decision to punish Jones for his reaction to Sam’s kiss with his boyfriend, Vito Cammisano.  While he repeatedly indicated his support for same-sex marriage and gay rights, Smith called on Sam’s supporters to practice the tolerance they preach.

“It’s a very, very dangerous thing when people see something and they have a problem with what they’re seeing and they express themselves, and ultimately they’re fined,” he said on ESPN2’s First Take. “You can say they’re wrong, you could be the Miami Dolphins and talk to them, but to fine them and prohibit them from team activities — that’s getting a bit dicey now.”

Speaking of ‘a bit dicey’ — in a move which he said will teach companies a lesson for “trampling on Christian values”, Jack Burkman has also aimed his protest against financial giant Visa, who gave Sam his first advertising contract.  He claims several evangelical Christian leaders from around the U.S, as well as grassroots organizations in 27 of the 50 states, have mobilized against the firm.

As part of the protest, Rams fans will be told to stop buying the team’s merchandise and not to attend games, while members of the public will be asked stop using their Visa cards, and to sell any of the company’s stocks they may own.

“Visa and the Rams will learn that when you trample the Christian community and Christian values, there will be a terrible financial price to pay,” said Burkman, head of the Washington DC lobbying firm JM Burkman & Assoc.

As well as the boycott, Burkman’s firm is attempting to push a draft bill through Washington, which will ban all openly gay players from the NFL and other professional sports in the country.  Called “The American Decency Act of 2014,” it mandates a fine for any professional sports team of $8 to $13 million for each openly gay player hired.

But Burkman’s boycott may have backfired as Michael Sam’s jersey is the number two seller according to NFLShop.com. Sam’s jersey have also outsold those of Jadeveon Clowney, the number one pick overall who was drafted by Houston.

The top selling jersey belongs to Johnny Manziel, the quarterback taken in the first round by the Cleveland Browns. Manziel had an advantage in terms of uniform sales since he was taken earlier in the draft.

The league’s online shop did not release the number of jerseys sold, only the rankings. But it did say this was the biggest draft weekend for sales in the site’s history.

When all is said and done, Ram’s coach Jeff Fisher said Sam is just another young player trying to make the team’s 53-man roster.

“He’s a good football player, and we got a good football player right after him,” Fisher said, “so I’m excited about our draft, excited about our production, excited about the possibility of adding him to our defensive front.”

President Barack Obama congratulated Michael Sam for being the first openly gay football player taken in the National Football League draft, the White House said in a statement.

“From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are,” Obama said.

One of eight children, Sam grew up in Hitchcock, Texas, where he was raised primarily by his mother. At one point, he has said, he lived out of his mother’s car and briefly stayed with another family.

Three of Sam’s siblings have died, including an older brother he saw die from a gunshot wound. Two of his brothers are serving prison sentences.