Monday, May 26, 2014

Each week, we'll highlight a conversation from our forums as part of stlEXTRA! content available only to full-access subscribers.

When the OWN network, owned by Oprah Winfrey, announced this week that it is making a documentary about Michael Sam, forum commentators, and Bernie Miklasz (BernieM) reacted in Bernie's Press Box:

21st Century Boy OK. I thought this was about football. Now he will be having a reality show?? While he tries to make the Rams' squad??? This is quickly turning into a joke and unfortunately the Rams are the ones that will get laughed at if this goes south. I hope Fisher doesn't let the cameras in the ball park.

EnFuego Guess Michael Sam knows he isn't making the Rams already? So coming out and getting drafted wasn't about playing football I guess.

mizfan I have no problem with this show if he gets in shape, gets to camp, and makes the team first. Defensive line is probably the toughest position to win so if he makes the team first he has every right to have a show. It's capitalism at its best and people can decide if they want to watch. That being said, if he does this before he makes the team I do make a distinction. I understand if to you that doesn't make sense, but to me one should show he is an NFL player before they have a show patterned around an NFL player.

Ronnie Dobbs What's the big deal if he has cameras on him while he tries to make the team? The NFL has a reality show of its own. The UFC has a show based around a bunch of guys trying to earn a contract with the company. Who cares? ... The point of the reality show appears to be taping him while he tries to make the team, so it would indeed appear that he's interested in making the team. You guys are really reaching.

21st Century Boy Who cares?? Dude, are you serious?? A lot of folks care! Snead has already said emphatically that the Rams have told Sam and his cronies that the Rams would not put up with a lot of sideshow nonsense, i.e. having a reality show trying to get into the locker room. This may end up very poorly on several fronts.

Freeber2.0 That's got a little more information on the subject if anyone is interested. For starters, Sam has been in negotiations with OWN for two months, and the Rams had no idea. And the Rams don't plan to allow any special access for coverage of Sam. So it's not like they'll be filming practice.

That article says: "Sources say the plan is for the series to be broken up in to six to eight segments. His agents Cameron Weiss and Joe Barkett are producers, as is Sam's publicist Howard Bragman." I'm not sure if segments is necessarily the same as episodes. I can't imagine how there's essentially a three or four hour movie/reality show (assuming if they're episodes that are 30 minutes each) about Micheal Sam making a NFL team. But also think that OWN's programming is pretty weak and is probably dying for content. The first article talks about how Sam needs to limit distractions — this doesn't seem to be a step in the right direction. Not to mention, most reality shows are now somewhat scripted — so what would anyone really be watching?

Big Sid I'm a huge supporter of Michael Sam. I'm disappointed though that he's doing the reality show. I hope it won't be a distraction from his focus on football and making the team. I'm still very proud of the Rams, St. Louis and Michael Sam.

down4daLou I guess Sam knows a steady NFL paycheck may not being in his future so he is trying to make any type of money that he can. I have no issue with that. I don't think the Rams will allow OWN access to Rams Park seeing as how they do not even want to be a part of Hard-knocks.

BernieM Well, I'm a Michael Sam fan and was pleased that the Rams drafted him. But I must say he's sending contradictory messages. He's said it a thousand times: he wants it to be all about football. ... 

For instance, he said these things in his press conference Tuesday:

-- "All my focus has been playing and trying to make the team."

-- When asked if he thought the day would come when he could just concentrate solely on football, Sam said: "Oh yeah, eventually it will. But, I understand that right now you guys want to make a big deal of it. When this is over, then I can start doing that as fast as possible." ... 

The day he was drafted, in a conference call with STL media, Sam said: "Since February, since my big announcement, there has been this whole speculation of the first openly gay football player. But, you know what? It's not about that. It's about playing football." ... And, on the media attention: "I have to prove myself. I've got to make sure the 'vets' know that I'm a team player and I love this game. I want to show the coaches that I'm a team player and I'm a hardworking guy, and that what I do on the field will determine how great Michael Sam will be."

Really?

The way to get people to stop making a big deal of him being the first openly gay NFL player and to start (focusing on football) as quickly as possible is to sign on with the Oprah Winfrey Network? The way to let your coaches and teammates know that you're a team player and hardworking guy is to approve of a reality show, and thus ensure that a TV crew will be following your every move in training camp — with at least some possibility that teammates will be bugged by having their space invaded by a reality-TV crew?

Sam says one thing over and over again, but the actions don't match the words. At least not in this case.

And I don't think the Rams knew about this in advance. I don't think they're thrilled — not that they'd say that publicly.

sadsushi Is he all about football or is he not? If he was truly all about football he wouldn't of come out in the first place..I'm sure there have been many gay NFL players in the past who just wanted to be football players. People don't watch football to know if you are gay or straight, they watch it to see you hit people or score touchdowns. Period.

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