Michael Sam signed autographs on Saturday. ESPN sent a reporter to Missouri to document Sam’s autograph signing on Saturday. Which of the two is the more newsworthy item?
ESPN, which recently highlighted openly-gay Brooklyn Nets player Jason Collins checking in to a game on Sports Center, has featured the Sam autograph signing on the front page of its website for nearly twenty-four hours. NCAA basketball tournament? Henderson-Rua II? Dodgers down under? Auto Club 400? Miami Heat lose again? It’s not as though it’s been a slow weekend in sports.
The proprietor of the Chesterfield, Missouri mall’s sports memorabilia shop observed that Sam’s crowd outnumbered crowds gathered for his teammates at his store by at least 2-1. Sam’s John Hancock ran at a $30-a-pop minimum. “The turnout for Sam, who could become the first openly gay NFL player, bested the crowds at signings by four of his Missouri draft-eligible teammates, including quarterback James Franklin, held at the same location and put on by the same company earlier this month,” ESPN reporter Darren Rovell pointed out.
Veteran NFL scout Chris Landry told Breitbart Sports last month that Sam “could go anywhere from 4th round on.” The homosexual pass rusher subsequently performed horribly at the NFL Combine, running a 4.9 forty and pushing 225 pounds for fewer repetitions than all but one other defensive lineman. He played better on the field than he did in the weight room, recording 11.5 sacks for Missouri this season and stopping 19 ball carriers for losses.
Mapquest lists Chesterfield, Missouri as 1,084 road miles from Bristol, Connecticut.