By Mansfield Frazier
If Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam really wants to shake things up hereabouts he would make every effort to draft Michael Sam, the highly touted, openly gay player set to come out of Missouri this year. In that way the team would immediately jump to the front of the herd in terms of where society is going, rather than simply following behind … as perceived backwaters such as Cleveland always tend to do.
In spite of the fact that rightwing Christian evangelical hate mongers and tinhorn dictators in backwards countries keep their virulent strain of bigotry going by bullying, the world is becoming more enlightened on LBGT issues. Homophobia survives because straight men and women (some of whom really don’t give a damn about anyone else’s sexual orientation) are forced into publicly going along with hateful views out of fear of being labeled as being gay themselves.
It’s akin to how whites that dare to question racial bigotry are often still called “ni**er lovers.” Haters — who skillfully use pejorative terms — set up the false choice of “either you’re with us or against us” and there is no middle ground. In the case of gays, “you’re either a sexually straight arrow like us … or you’re a goddamn fag.”
Personally, I’d rather be thought a “fag” than a “hater.” The same person that hates someone else because of his or her sexual orientation will, in all likelihood, hate me because of the color of my skin. To me, homophobia among blacks simply boggles the mind.
But, indeed, the world is changing and Cleveland, by being accepting of Michael Sam, could out itself in the forefront of that change.
While the percentage of individuals who identify as LBGT has historically been difficult to pin down (10 percent is a figure that often has been used), the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research — using more stringent and accurate tools — now says the figure is closer to 20 percent. But, alas, the study also found that anti-gay sentiment is stronger than has previously been reported.
Men like Michael Sam are disturbing to some for the simple reason that in testosterone-driven fields of human endeavor such as competitive sports, the fear is that if you lose to a gay athlete someone will say “You mean you let a fag beat you!?” Many people are much more comfortable with their outdated, compartmentalized notions of gay men only baking cookies and arranging flowers … while listening to old Judy Garland recordings.
It really disturbs these folks when they have to come to the realization that members of the LBGT community are serving proudly and with distinction in all branches America’s elite special military forces, as well as playing all major professional sports in untold numbers, albeit on the down low.
Indeed, it’s been an open secret for years that about a quarter of all professional boxers (and yes, those engaging in mixed martial arts as well) are gay … but the only thing that really matters is who can kick whose ass. Period.
Michael Sam would not be coming to Cleveland asking for any special favors or considerations, and if he can’t hold his own on the playing field, he — like any other player — would soon be history. But this is a dude that clearly has something to prove, and I for one would love to see him be given the opportunity to prove it right here while wearing a Cleveland Browns uniform.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com. Frazier’s From Behind The Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate is available again in hardback. Snag your copy and have it signed by the author by visiting http://NeighborhoodSolutionsInc.com.
One Response to “MANSFIELD: The Browns Should Draft Michael Sam”
Allen Freeman
Michael Sam should be drafted by the Browns if and only if he is the best available player at that position, and if and only if the Browns need to fill that position.
Drafting him for any other reason would mean he is not being ‘treated equally’ to any other player.
Because isn’t ‘equal treatment’ all that the gay community asks?
Or is their demand for something different, something more?