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Michael Sam and Oprah Winfrey's cable network have agreed to shoot a multi-part documentary series that will follow Sam as he attempts to make the St. Louis Rams roster. But that agreement has suddenly turned NFL watchers who had previously been in his corner into critics of the seventh-round pick's decision making.
On Saturday, Sam gave sports and equal rights fans one of the most moving live televised moments ever, when he broke down in tears after being chosen by the Rams in the NFL Draft and delivered a celebratory kiss to his boyfriend. Sure, there were those homophobes who bristled at the kiss and complained about ESPN. But most recognized the moment for what it was — a compelling example of pure human happiness recognizable by people of any sexual orientation.
Now that Sam appears to be parlaying that genuine moment into the very not-genuine world of reality TV, some football watchers are souring on this feel good story. "A few months ago, Sam asked fans to let their guards down and invest in him in a very different way than they do in, say, Johnny Football or RGIII," Deadspin's Drew Magary writes. "Now he's chosen the favored path of every D-list asshole in America."