On Sunday Feb. 9, the sports
world was hit with one of the biggest news stories of the year: University of
Missouri All-American defensive end Michael Sam said he is gay. Only two
players in the five major sports had publicly come out prior to Sam – the
NBA’s Jason Collins and the MLS’s Robbie Rogers. Sam, who recorded double-digit
sacks as a senior and was honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is
projected to be selected as high as the third round in this year’s NFL Draft,
which would make him the first openly gay player to play in the NFL. The story
was initially broken by ESPN and the NewYork Times, while Sports Illustrated
followed closely behind, but further analysis reveals that each covered the
news in unique ways.
