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Category Archives: Sports
Olympic Committee Will Add Sexual Orientation To Charter’s Non-Discrimination Language
Curtis M. Wong | Huffington Post | December 8, 2014
In what’s already being hailed as “a great step forward,” the International Olympic Committee has taken a significant move against future intolerance toward the lesbian, gay and bisexual community in the Olympic Games.
The Chicago Tribune reports that IOC members unanimously voted to approve a recommendation which adds non-discrimination language regarding sexual orientation to the Olympic Charter.
“The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status,” the Charter now reads, according to the publication.
The Meteoric Rise And Fall Of The Mighty Michael Sam
Graham Gremore | Queerty | December 8, 2014
Last week, Michael Sam suggested to paparazzi that he was forced out of the NFL for being gay.
“Do you think with you coming out it affected your ability to play?” he was asked.
“I was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last year,” Sam replied. “So I don’t think it had to do with talent.”
Michael Sam proves coming out gay in sport can still hurt your career
Chris Morgan | Gay Star Magazine | November 5, 2014
In my last GSN column I asked if the NFL was being homophobic in its treatment of Michael Sam?
This was directly after he had been cut from the St Louis Rams and was just about to be been picked up by the Dallas Cowboys to be part of their practice squad.
At the time it was quite apparent that this was not a good position for Sam to find himself in, so for him now to have been cut from his second team in only a matter of weeks it leaves some serious questions to be answered?
Cowboys release Michael Sam
Associated Press | South Florida Gay News | October 22, 2014
IRVING, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys released defensive end Michael Sam from the practice squad Tuesday, another setback as the NFL’s first openly gay player tries to make an active roster during the regular season for the first time.
Sam spent seven weeks with the Cowboys after signing to their practice squad on Sept. 3, four days after he was among the final cuts by the St. Louis Rams at the end of the preseason.
“I want to thank the Jones family and the entire Cowboys organization for this opportunity, as well as my friends, family, teammates, and fans for their support,” Sam said in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon. “While this is disappointing, I will take the lessons I learned here in Dallas and continue to fight for an opportunity to prove that I can play every Sunday.”
How This Chiseled Boxing Champ Became The Unlikely New Face Of Gay Rights In Poland
Dan Tracer | Queerty | October 3, 2014
The Polish gay rights movement has a new advocate who is equal parts unlikely as he is effective. And boy can they use the help. Boxer Dariusz Michalczewski, or ‘Tiger’ as he’s known to just about everyone in the country, became a household name during his decade-long dominance as a light heavyweight champion.
Tiger defected to Germany in 1988, where he continued his boxing career under the German flag and became an international star.
Now retired, he’s lending some much needed support to the fight for gay rights in Poland, where same-sex marriage and gay adoption remain goals just barely on the horizon.
But Tiger’s support is more than a mere symbolic gesture. He’s causing the needle to move.
Future Olympic Host Cities Must Sign Non-Discrimination Clause
On Top Magazine | September 25, 2014
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has amended its host city contract to include a non-discrimination clause.
The move comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding Russia’s staging of the Winter Olympics. A law prohibiting the promotion of “gay propaganda” to minors went into effect in Russia just months before athletes began arriving in Sochi to compete.
The new language will be included in the contract signed by the host city chosen for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Michael Sam Finds a Spot With Dallas Cowboys
Schuyler Dixon | Associated Press | EDGE Boston | September 3, 2014
Michael Sam’s second chance will be with the Dallas Cowboys.
Coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday that the league’s first openly gay player will be added to the practice roster.
“We just want to give him a chance to come in and help our football team,” Garrett said. “That’s where our attention is (football). What people say outside the organization is up to them.”
The Cowboys, who are seeking help with their pass rush because of injuries and the offseason release of franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware, added Sam four days after he was released by St. Louis when teams had to cut rosters to 53 players.
Dallas Cowboys Add Michael Sam To Practice Squad
Michael Klopman | Huffington Post | September 3, 2014
Michael Sam has found a new NFL home. The Dallas Cowboys announced on Wednesday that they have signed Sam, the first openly gay player ever to be drafted into the NFL, to their 10-man practice squad.
Cowboys sign DE Michael Sam to practice squad. http://t.co/4iekcaK2km
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) September 3, 2014
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett addressed the signing at his regularly-scheduled press conference.
“We feel like he has a chance to come in at a position that we tried to address early throughout the offseason, throughout training camp, and compete for a spot,” Garrett said. “We’re bringing a player in we want to see on the practice field. We got nothing but good reports about him from people in St. Louis and we just want to give him a chance to come in see if he can help our football team.”
Michael Sam: Out of the Closet, Out of the NFL?
Dave Zirin | The Nation | September 2, 2014
St. Louis Rams defensive end Michael Sam during an NFL preseason football game against the Miami Dolphins. August 28, 2014. Miami Gardens, Florida (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The tweet sent by one of my favorite football writers, Mike Freeman speaks volumes: “GM tells me: ‘Teams want to sign Michael Sam but fear the media attention.’ To me, that’s cowardice. But that’s just me.” It is not just you, Mike. This is cowardice writ large: risk-averse corporate executives unwilling to improve their team because they fear that the “distraction” of openly gay linebacker Michael Sam is not worth the effort.
For those unaware of the latest news, Michael Sam was among the last cuts of the St. Louis Rams. Despite a stellar preseason where he was among the team leaders in sacks, tackles and snaps. Sam found himself on the outside when the final roster was announced. This in and of itself was not surprising. In a league where pass-rushers are a premium, St. Louis has perhaps the deepest crew of quarterback sackers and run stoppers in the NFL. This made their original drafting of Sam somewhat curious, and it was always unclear how he would in fact make the team. Given Sam’s terrific preseason, though, football scribes took to Twitter and assured the public that Sam would be signed by another team, or at the very least, assigned to the Rams ten-person practice squad. Implicit in these tweets, whether the writers intended this or not, is the NFL’s most treasured public relations point: this is a league that cares about winning above all else, and Michael Sam, who more than proved himself this preseason, would find himself a home.
Now we know that, as of today, Sam was not signed to the Rams practice squad and furthermore has drawn no interest from the dozen or so teams desperate for edge rushers that also run defensive schemes suited to his skills. The 2014 co-SEC defensive player of the year, who just rocked the preseason, is officially on the outside looking in.
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