Lots of people care, because they think it's important for gay people to be able to live as freely and openly as they'd like, and know that Sam making a roster would be a powerful example of how it's possible to do so. It would be good for an openly gay man to play in the NFL because it would show that a gay man can…

He doesn't have a valid point. Michael Sam is the first openly gay player to be drafted by an NFL team. It's "unfortunate" because he had a chance to make even more history by being the first openly gay player to play in an NFL game, etc. Now all of that is in jeopardy.

Well put. I was rooting for him but I have no problem with the Rams cutting him. They gave him a chance. Teams have preseason film on him. He may yet find a team.

What kind of shit-ass team can't handle the "distraction" of some people *hoping* that a borderline player makes the cut. Holy fuck nuts, if your team can't handle that kind of SEARING INTENSITY, you're already properly fucked out of the gate.

He deserves to be treated like a child for understanding the world like one.

I know! Famous rookies NEVER get attention. They don't star in Snickers commercials (Manziel), snort coke on Instagram (Manziel), engage in public drunkenness (Manziel), obsess over "their brand" (RGIII), drag the Kardashian freak show with them (Reggie Bush), have pimp and crack dealers as parents (Bryant), legions…

No, actually, Sam isn't the "only one". Why whine about something so easily disproven?

"Why exactly is it "unfortunate?""

It's unfortunate because Michael Sam is attempting to become the first openly gay player in the NFL, something of enormous symbolic importance, and while no one wants him to be judged by anything but his merits as a football player, many sports fans were and are rooting for him to succeed.

Easy there. "Unfortunate" because people were rooting for him to make the team. No one said the Rams were obligated to keep him.

Probably unfortunate because people wanted him to play better, not that it was a bad decision by the Rams. Come on.

You're a moron.

Probably the only black man recently to say "Oh no, I have to leave St. Louis."

I often make much more than this, by simply driving my car to a destination (Mexico), letting some people fill my trunk with duffel bags, and driving it right back ( to America)! I don't even have to let it sit there!

Maybe I'm just a little on edge about this shit lately, but it seems kind of telling to me that if you get involved in the American Prison Industrial Complex and you're white, you get a million dollar publishing deal at the end of it. As opposed to if you're black, in which case you get dead.

"So we figured, hey, let's draw attention to racial inequalities in America by walking hand-in-hand out from this inflatable thing with a purple injun on it."

The tear gas element of the tribute, however, seems a bit too on-the-nose for me.

Ah yes. I will never forget the day I looked down at my freakishly large hand and in a moment of clarity realized "I too, am a gay."

Fantastic statement from Jesse Williams. I'm bi-racial, but can say that I've never really been harassed by the cops in my lifetime. My brothers however? Dudes can't move two feet without a policeman stopping jus to "check-in". This shit is real, and it would be lovely for large parts of the country to open their…

I honestly thought about including that. Strictly speaking, it's not practical, but I actually find them fun. And not every message is supposed to be business-oriented