"South Park Is Gay" is an extreme exaggeration of the popularity of gaydom...... but is it?Ellen started it all and now it feels like everyone wants to be the next Ellen in their chosen field of expertise. Was it right for Michael Sam to come out to the world but remain quiet about his intention to let Oprah tell his story? It was not only right, it was the only way to accomplish his mission.
Let's think about this.
Who in the hell was going to make sure they tuned in to see the first openly gay college/pro potential athlete if Michael Sam did not do the first wave of publicity, coming out to the entire world. If he had not announced himself as being gay before he announced his documentary deal for the OWN network, we would have had to discover Michael Sam and his story all at the same time. He would probably not have fallen to the last man in the 2014 draft if he chose to keep his mouth shut, but in the bigger monetary reality, Michael Sam had to do advance marketing for this joint venture with Oprah or the success of his documentary would have likely mirrored that of Oprah's struggling network; watched by some, but largely ignored by most.
When was this deal actually signed is the question of the day?
To the credit of Oprah and Michael Sam, the move was absolute brilliance.....as it relates to business. It also might not turn out to be so bad for the business of being gay. Of course being gay has nothing to do with making money or exploiting business opportunities. The fact that so many television shows seem to wish to explore gay sexuality on camera is simply a sign of the times.........right? The fact that Oprah decided to delay the documentary until Michael Sam actually makes the team is as unusual as the undisclosed deal for the last pick in the draft. This is as much about being gay as it is about being able to see opportunity when it presents itself.
The recent college basketball player who decided to come out had to be inspired by Michael Sam or by Jason Collins of the NBA. He had to find fear in his decision but liberation in his courage to tell the world......right? There isn't a chance that he is the evidence of another twisted episode of Southpark .......right? Could the popularity of those who have come out be creating a magnet for others to do the same?
Could we be witnessing the beginning of a nearly fad like wave of gay declarations from the world of sports? Like afro's and curly afro perm's, or daisy dukes and rap music, being gay is growing to a dimension of near distortion. We are entering a realm in which it is hardly clear whether or not one is "Really" gay or really interested in profiting from the popularity of being openly seen as gay.
If you need a real life example of what I am talking about take Michael Sam as exhibit A. Sam realizes that timing is not only important in football, but it is also important in pre-documentary introductions. If he did not tell you that he was a gay man, then his Jackie Robinson of gay people status would not have come to be. Yet, saying that you are gay and really being gay is starting to be as hard to determine as it was for the South Park kids in the gay episode.
Part of the marketing of Michael Sam included another interesting first. During draft announcements over the years I have seen heterosexuals do a lot of interesting things upon learning that they have been chosen. Some cry and then kiss their mom, others kiss their mom and put on a hat and cry. I might have seen a few girlfriends get camera coverage during a draft party, I may have even seen a few get and give a congratulatory kiss from time to time, but in my mind, this is not a common thing for college players to do on camera. I have NEVER seen such an orchestrated embrace for the LAST pick in the draft.
To me, this was nothing more than further marketing of his true gaydom. A joyous man,especially an Italian one, might kiss his dad on the lips when receiving such incredible news. I would imagine that metro-sexual Carpman from the "Southpark is Gay" episode found man pecks to be the newest fad as well. The Michael Sam kiss was more than a simple expression of joy, it was proof of being gay; something that never mattered back when no one wanted to be called gay or had the courage to come out prior to the NFL draft and an Oprah documentary.
I am not mad at gay's for being the new black. For a good little while, being black actually got a bunch of black guy's hired in the NBA, a league of mostly black guys. Among the most recent NBA hires, black coaches have not done well. The much beleaguered Donald Sterling (owner of the LA Clippers) actually hired one of the few black guys that the NBA hiring system hasn't run off, even though Sterling is considered a shameful racist. The NBA may not be the worst of the professional leagues relative to race, but they certainly are not without racial blemish. My hunch is that Sterling's comments had more to do with the person that they were leveled at (rich, beloved black man, Magic Johnson) and less to do with the shock and awe of the utterance. These days it is becoming more dangerous to be found homophobic than racist.
Gay is the new Black, and just as it was cool once upon a time ago to be Bill Cosby and have a bunch of smart and proud black kids doing regular American stuff on T.V., now it is cooler to be proudly gay. Not that it doesn't demand a lot of courage to live your truth. It does. Somehow in today's world, such bravery is beyond liberating. It potentially comes with tangible rewards, and being the first gay......"whatever" is easily worth a television show, a sitcom or an LGBT lifetime achievement award.
Thanks to the confession of Michael Sam, we all know him to be a proud gay man. His college transcripts say he has the mettle to be an NFL player and possibly deserved to be drafted higher than the last pick in the draft. Most importantly, we have discovered that Michael Sam (and Oprah) is no fool, and maybe a shrewd businessman in addition to the other things we know about him for certain. If Michael Sam turns out to be the kind of football player he (and the film) says he can be, then his business moves will be an asset to his career and to the furtherance of gay rights.
If Michael Sam can't live up to the hype that he has created, his business moves will be his death nail. After all, he is the last pick in the draft.
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