In 2014, I was moved by the story of Michael Sam. Most have probably forgotten about him by now, but here’s the gist of it: he was the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. Sam had a beautiful moment when he was drafted; despite the free fall of multiple rounds past his projection, he was still ecstatic to be picked and kissed his boyfriend on national television as part of his celebration.
Unfortunately, backlash followed. Don Jones of the Miami Dolphins tweeted “horrible” in reaction to the pick and celebratory kiss. Sam ended up not even making a roster, despite his terrific performance in that year’s preseason, and has since retired from football.