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Rams select Michael Sam, NFL's first openly gay player [W:282]

Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

JasperL said:
So, you want to make standards for the NFL harder than for any other profession, and using standards (academic achievement) that have little to nothing to do with success in the profession. Why not require engineers to run a sub 5 40, or at least be able to do 100 pushups? :roll:
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If JFK was still around, he would concur with you that all engineers be able to do 100 push ups and probably to be able to hike 50 miles with in 24 hours.

Every thing has to be compared to something. When it comes to the NFL, "Sports Illustrate" compares all NFL teams to the last super team of the NFL. That was the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi. You will never see a super team again in the NFL. The NFL has been so dumbed down since the 1970's.

Before 1970 just about every NFL player would have been a sucess in the private sector even if they didn't play in the NFL. They all actually had real college degrees in engineering, science, etc. Most of the NFL players back then didn't make big bucks like they do today, playing with the NFL was about the sport. And after their careers went into the private sector and were pretty successful.

( I can remember back during the 1970's at a bar and grill on Aviation Blvd. down the street from North American Aviation, Douglas Aircraft, Hughes, Aerospace, TRW, etc. and more than a few dozen of the former NFL players of the 60's and 50's who used their college degrees to work at these places as engineers, pencil pushers, etc. after playing with the NFL. These former NFL players were smart.)

Today those NFL players who didn't hire a financial consultant to invest all of the money they made playing football don't do to well after their NFL careers, just a step from living under a overpass. You have some pretty dull Christmas lights on the NFL Christmas tree today.

Today less than half of todays NFL players would have ever made it into the NFL forty five years ago.

There was a time when those who didn't meet the NFL standards found themselves playing in the AFL. Then one day some beard scratching types decided that wasn't right, it's discrimination. The AFL players should be able to play in the NFL. So they merged the AFL with the NFL and you will never see a super team again.

The NFL today is no longer about football. it's about money. It's a big entertainment business.

If you have the time and know what a book is, read some of the biographies of Vince Lombardi.
 
Erod said:
Yes, they should ban disownment of children for being gay. They should criminalize gay jokes altogether. They should pass a law that says it is illegal to consider being gay odd in any way. In fact, it should be required that half of all children be gay so it's fair.

What is it you want?

Being gay isn't normal. It's not illegal, but it's just odd. Always will be. With 7 billion people in the world, you get some mutated genes here and there. No biggie.

Look-at-me drama. That's what 95 percent of this is about.
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Since we're all entitled to our opinions, it's mine that you're taking that position out of ignorance, not because you've got a number of gay friends or family and know this from the evidence of their lives.

It's certainly better for gays than 20 years, or even 5 years ago, but that doesn't reduce their current issues to mere drama - except 5% of the time....
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

APACHERAT said:
If JFK was still around, he would concur with you that all engineers be able to do 100 push ups and probably to be able to hike 50 miles with in 24 hours.
Click to expand...

Really, JFK proposed that licensing requirements for certain professionals include physical fitness benchmarks, and those who failed to meet them were disqualified from working in that industry? Got a cite for that?

Every thing has to be compared to something. When it comes to the NFL, "Sports Illustrate" compares all NFL teams to the last super team of the NFL. That was the Green Bay Packers under Vince Lombardi. You will never see a super team again in the NFL. The NFL has been so dumbed down since the 1970's.

Before 1970 just about every NFL player would have been a sucess in the private sector even if they didn't play in the NFL. They all actually had real college degrees in engineering, science, etc. Most of the NFL players back then didn't make big bucks like they do today, playing with the NFL was about the sport. And after their careers went into the private sector and were pretty successful.

( I can remember back during the 1970's at a bar and grill on Aviation Blvd. down the street from North American Aviation, Douglas Aircraft, Hughes, Aerospace, TRW, etc. and more than a few dozen of the former NFL players of the 60's and 50's who used their college degrees to work at these places as engineers, pencil pushers, etc. after playing with the NFL. These former NFL players were smart.)

Today those NFL players who didn't hire a financial consultant to invest all of the money they made playing football don't do to well after their NFL careers, just a step from living under a overpass. You have some pretty dull Christmas lights on the NFL Christmas tree today.

Today less than half of todays NFL players would have ever made it into the NFL forty five years ago.

There was a time when those who didn't meet the NFL standards found themselves playing in the AFL. Then one day some beard scratching types decided that wasn't right, it's discrimination. The AFL players should be able to play in the NFL. So they merged the AFL with the NFL and you will never see a super team again.

The NFL today is no longer about football. it's about money. It's a big entertainment business.

If you have the time and know what a book is, read some of the biographies of Vince Lombardi.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry but you're just romanticizing the past. One of my family's great friends was a football player from that era. By his own account, he was a street thug who was only alive because he was able to get out of the environment where he lived and play college, then pro, football. A series of concussions derailed him, but this guy was a polish street thug and was welcomed in both college and pro football.

Besides, it's interesting that your timeline is more or less the timeline of NFL integration. I'm not sure if that's coincidence or not. But it's definitely true that probably more than half of current players wouldn't have been ALLOWED on the golden era teams of the NFL (not AFC) because most NFL teams didn't draft any blacks.

At any rate, the kind of standards you're suggesting are hilarious. There is no real reason any FOOTBALL player should have a degree of any kind - they're paid to....play football.

And, sure, it's entertainment - same now as it was in your golden era. Professional football was and has always been about 'money.' I'm not aware of any team owners from any era running a charity to promote the sport of 'football' to America.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Can't wait for one of his teammates to hesitate taking a shower with this guy, then watch the left go apesh!t and call the guy a homophobe and run him out of the league. fun times we live in.
 
Top Cat said:
There are plenty of players who prayed on the field and thanked God long before Mr. Tebow planted the little swimmers into Mrs. Tebow.

Steve Largent and Jim Zorn were famous for just that. And there were plenty long before them too.
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How often was their Christianity discussed?
 
Oh this ought to make the anal retentivites in here really squirm.

 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Thrilla said:
after his performance at the combine, i'm surprised he was drafted at all.

it was nearly unanimous that he's a great dude... but not good enough for the NFL
he's not fast, and he's not strong.... so I guess, here's to hoping he has something in his bag of tricks to overcome those extremely important attributes.



personally, I hope he sucks... but that's just because I can't stand the Rams and I hope they have a losing season.
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There was a reason Mr. Sam was "drafted" with a compensatory selection as the Rams 11th and next last pick of their draft. I would speculate that reason would have come at the "urging" of the NFL front office, so as to head off the looming lawsuit against the league if the gay guy had not been chosen in the draft. JMO.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

HogWash said:
There was a reason Mr. Sam was "drafted" with a compensatory selection as the Rams 11th and next last pick of their draft. I would speculate that reason would have come at the "urging" of the NFL front office, so as to head off the looming lawsuit against the league if the gay guy had not been chosen in the draft. JMO.
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hahaha
 
We need affirmative action to force each team to draft at least two gay players and those players are allowed to kiss in the locker room.

Just to freak out the phobes.
 
tres borrachos said:
How often was their Christianity discussed?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say they wore it on their sleeves. They rarely brought it up other than a "Thank God" after a big play etc. Tebow was more overt about it but lots of players have been vocal about their faith long before them.
 
ecofarm said:
We need affirmative action to force each team to draft at least two gay players and those players are allowed to kiss in the locker room.

Just to freak out the phobes.
Click to expand...

That would do it.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

HogWash said:
There was a reason Mr. Sam was "drafted" with a compensatory selection as the Rams 11th and next last pick of their draft. I would speculate that reason would have come at the "urging" of the NFL front office, so as to head off the looming lawsuit against the league if the gay guy had not been chosen in the draft. JMO.
Click to expand...

First post...I smell a sock.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

JoeTrumps said:
Can't wait for one of his teammates to hesitate taking a shower with this guy, then watch the left go apesh!t and call the guy a homophobe and run him out of the league. fun times we live in.
Click to expand...

Lighten up Francis.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

JoeTrumps said:
Can't wait for one of his teammates to hesitate taking a shower with this guy, then watch the left go apesh!t and call the guy a homophobe and run him out of the league. fun times we live in.
Click to expand...

There were guys in my airborne infantry company, in the DADT days, that everyone pretty much knew were gay, and no one gave a crap. They were physically and mentally disciplined, they never fell asleep on guard duty, they were good shots and they never broke rules. No one cared if they happened to be in the shower, we were professionals.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Top Cat said:
First post...I smell a sock.
Click to expand...

Second post...now you can move on to a jock strap.:2wave:
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

JasperL said:
Really, JFK proposed that licensing requirements for certain professionals include physical fitness benchmarks, and those who failed to meet them were disqualified from working in that industry? Got a cite for that?



I'm sorry but you're just romanticizing the past. One of my family's great friends was a football player from that era. By his own account, he was a street thug who was only alive because he was able to get out of the environment where he lived and play college, then pro, football. A series of concussions derailed him, but this guy was a polish street thug and was welcomed in both college and pro football.

Besides, it's interesting that your timeline is more or less the timeline of NFL integration. I'm not sure if that's coincidence or not. But it's definitely true that probably more than half of current players wouldn't have been ALLOWED on the golden era teams of the NFL (not AFC) because most NFL teams didn't draft any blacks.

At any rate, the kind of standards you're suggesting are hilarious. There is no real reason any FOOTBALL player should have a degree of any kind - they're paid to....play football.

And, sure, it's entertainment - same now as it was in your golden era. Professional football was and has always been about 'money.' I'm not aware of any team owners from any era running a charity to promote the sport of 'football' to America.
Click to expand...

Correction Jasperl, it's the AFL not the AFC.

When the AFL was absorbed by the NFL, the AFL became the AFC. The original NFL teams became the NFC. It was immediately discovered that to keep the NFL competitive that since the former AFL were made up of NFL rejects, some of the NFC teams had to be moved over to the AFC while some AFC teams moved to the NFC.

Remember the WFL ? What was behind that ? The WFL was hoping they would soon be absorbed within the NFL. Could you picture what you would be watching on the field today if that happened ?

All you know is one person who played for the NFL ? Well I guess it's possible considering in my lifetime I watched the population of America double.

Anytime anything gets too large, quality takes a hit. Be it in the private sector, government or even sports. A smaller manufacture is going to have better quality control, the bottom line isn't what it's all about and produce a better product.

If the Marine Corps were to grow to the size of the Army, it would no longer be the worlds elite fighting force.

The rest of my prior post is my opinion and there are others who would concur and others who don't concur.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

HogWash said:
There was a reason Mr. Sam was "drafted" with a compensatory selection as the Rams 11th and next last pick of their draft. I would speculate that reason would have come at the "urging" of the NFL front office, so as to head off the looming lawsuit against the league if the gay guy had not been chosen in the draft. JMO.
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This is exactly right. They had the cameras front, center, and ready. Made for TV. St. Louis did this as ordered.

The guy is slow, weak, small, and doesn't have a position he can play in the NFL. He is the definition of a camp body.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Erod said:
This is exactly right. They had the cameras front, center, and ready. Made for TV. St. Louis did this as ordered.

The guy is slow, weak, small, and doesn't have a position he can play in the NFL. He is the definition of a camp body.
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LOLOLOL...the tin hats are popular today.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Top Cat said:
LOLOLOL...the tin hats are popular today.
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Not a football fan I take it.

As an NFL prospect, Sam sucks. And he's bad at football, too.

Benched like a cornerback, ran like an offensive guard, jumped like a ball boy. Just awful combine measureables.

Those guys don't get drafted.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Erod said:
Not a football fan I take it.

As an NFL prospect, Sam sucks. And he's bad at football, too.
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His drafting was right in line with his numbers. That the press was there was not a conspiracy. The guy is in the limelight, of course the press would be there,

If you have read this thread you will see my take on this. Hell he won't make the Rams team. Their defensive line is beyond deep. May be the best defensive line in the game. And I'm a Hawks fan.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

This guy almost did not get drafted....He is not a good football player and really was only drafted because he is gay.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Navy Pride said:
This guy almost did not get drafted....He is not a good football player
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Ever heard of the SEC? Arguably the best conference in the country. He was co-defensive player of the year. You can't be a bad football player and win that award. He just doesn't have the measurables. At least try to do a little homework.


Navy Pride said:
and really was only drafted because he is gay.
Click to expand...

Right on cue.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

APACHERAT said:
Correction Jasperl, it's the AFL not the AFC.

When the AFL was absorbed by the NFL, the AFL became the AFC. The original NFL teams became the NFC. It was immediately discovered that to keep the NFL competitive that since the former AFL were made up of NFL rejects, some of the NFC teams had to be moved over to the AFC while some AFC teams moved to the NFC.

Remember the WFL ? What was behind that ? The WFL was hoping they would soon be absorbed within the NFL. Could you picture what you would be watching on the field today if that happened ?

All you know is one person who played for the NFL ? Well I guess it's possible considering in my lifetime I watched the population of America double.

Anytime anything gets too large, quality takes a hit. Be it in the private sector, government or even sports. A smaller manufacture is going to have better quality control, the bottom line isn't what it's all about and produce a better product.

If the Marine Corps were to grow to the size of the Army, it would no longer be the worlds elite fighting force.

The rest of my prior post is my opinion and there are others who would concur and others who don't concur.
Click to expand...

The original AFL was comprised of nine teams... the N.Y. Titans (Jets), Boston Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Oilers (Tenn. Titans ), Denver Broncos, Dallas Texans (K.C. Chiefs), Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers (San Diego). In 1965 the AFL added the Miami Dolphins. Then 10 Teams.

The merger happened about 1966 and the NFL mover the Pittburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns (Baltimore Ravens) and the Baltimore Colts (Indy) to the AFL to even up the number of teams in each conference. NFC and AFC.
 
Re: http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/la-sp-michael-sam-nfl-draft-20140511-s

Top Cat said:
Ever heard of the SEC? Arguably the best conference in the country. He was co-defensive player of the year. You can't be a bad football player and win that award. He just doesn't have the measurables. At least try to do a little homework.





Right on cue.
Click to expand...


If he is so good why did he almost did no get drafted?
 
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