Michael Sam & ESPN’s Definition of Courage
Recently, ESPN held their annual ESPY awards. Like most major awards shows, it was simply a place for people in an entertainment industry to pat themselves on the back for how great they are. I used to rather enjoy these shows; now, I find them boring.
Each year at the ESPYs, an award is given for courage in sports. Named the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, this trophy is presented to just one person each year, and is meant to honor someone associated (even loosely) with the world of sports who has overcome a great obstacle in life. Former winners of this award include Jim Valvano, Pat and Kevin Tillman, Pat Summitt, and the hero who made “let’s roll” famous in the wake of 9/11: Todd Beamer.
So, here is a gifted athlete, who is good enough to win a very prominent award in the Southeastern Conference and who is now working in a career that thousands of boys wish they could attain: a spot with an NFL team. And he is given an award for courage.
For what? Did Sam overcome cancer to get here? No. Did he survive a major accident and need to learn to walk again? No. Did he fight for our country and survive the horrors of combat? No.
So how did the “World Wide Leader” define courage for this year’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award?
Michael Sam is gay.
In the United States of America.
In 2014.
Let’s think about that definition of “courage” for a moment.
We live in a time and culture where to speak out against homosexuality is considered bigotry. To do so in many settings will lead to suspension from a job, court-ordered sensitivity training, or a no-questions-asked firing.
We live in a culture where the mainstream media celebrates homosexuality by making sure it is a major part of nearly every major TV show and movie, and they are certain that the homosexual character is kind, good looking, and heroic.
Ours is a time when our Supreme Court has made homosexual marriage something that is coming quickly to nearly every part of our nation, and we are told by most in the media to welcome that without any argument. To not celebrate gay marriage is to be out of step with the modern tide of history.
Even when Michael Sam himself was drafted by the Rams, cameras were present to witness his reaction (which included kissing his boyfriend) and share that moment with the world. When is the last time any other last-round pick got such treatment?
In other words, to be courageous in the eyes of ESPN, you need to live a lifestyle that everyone celebrates and no one is allowed to speak out against. You must be able to play a game for a living and have the celebrity that is attached with being a star athlete.
That’s how we define courage now?
Please tell that to police officers and military personnel, who put their own personal safety on the line on a daily basis, and do so without a second thought, and with very few words of thanks.
Please tell that to the elderly man who refuses to leave his ailing wife’s bedside, though his own health is not good.
Please tell that to the single mom who works all day and gives her children moral direction with ounce of energy she has left each evening.
Oh, I forgot. They can’t rush a quarterback, throw a 12-6 curve, or hit a game-winning 3-pointer. So the new, inclusive, politically-correct ESPN will never know about them and be able to figure out what real courage looks like.
One of these days, I may face jail, a fine, or having to leave the ministry for speaking out against the type of lifestyle that Michael Sam has chosen. He’ll be making money playing a game and I may be sitting in a cell or going through a financial struggle, all due to a deep conviction in Scripture.
Yet ESPN tells us that he’s the one with courage. Welcome to America in 2014, where to be awarded for being courageous no longer requires courage.
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