This writer has only one question when it comes to TV shows- What's the motivation?
Do you want to make us laugh? Do you want to make us think? Cry? Be informed?
60 Minutes is good for current events. There are numerous sports networks you can view. Sit-coms are good for comedy. But reality shows get caught somewhere in the middle. Pawn Stars is a neat reality show. Keeping Up With the Kardashians, on the other hand, is a show about... to be honest, this writer doesn't know what it's about.
A Michael Sam reality show. Now that's interesting. You have to ask yourself the same question. What was his motivation? We do know that it has been postponed, but why push the envelope? This writer has come to the conclusion that Sam's motivation is to expand his brand. To keep the public interested. Simply for capitalizing on his new-found fame. Exploiting his status as the first openly-gay player drafted into the NFL.
Isn't that what most reality shows are? Exploitation? How many reality shows actually serve a purpose? Lindsay Lohan's show on the Oprah Winfrey Network was blatant misuse of recovery. The whole point of recovering from addiction is that you have no distractions or public displays of the process, even though her show broke both of those rules. It's called Alcoholics Anonymous, not Alcoholics Identified. Even "Honey Boo Boo" and "Teen Mom" seem to be more like acts of exploitation instead of just introspective looks at the lives of certain people.
That's where Michael Sam's reality show comes in. And for the record, it was originally labeled a "multi-part documentary series." But you can also say the same for "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," but eventually every episode includes yelling and fighting. Despite that common reality show cliché we're pretty sure a Michael Sam show wouldn't follow that pattern.
Anyway, Michael Sam made headlines when he came out of the closet before the NFL Combine. TV cameras chronologically following Sam's attempt to make the team takes advantage of the situation that set a precedence when Sam finally got drafted.
Let's use Gene Simmons and Bruce Jenner as examples for my next point. What do they have in common? Both are very accomplished in their distinct careers, and both are have reality TV shows. Gene Simmons has "Family Jewels" and Jenner has "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." Both shows have been on-air for quite some time, and they have expanded the brands of both Simmons and Jenner. Ironically, both were stars in the 70s, but their individual fame dwindled as they got older. You can make the argument that reality TV revived their careers.
But that's the thing: They were already popular to begin with. They had accomplished a lot in their lifetimes. Michael Sam is all of 24 years old. He hasn't even earned a spot on the Rams' roster. It's hard to imagine someone garnering their own TV show if they haven't even done anything to warrant it. Sam needs to make the roster and earn his keep on the team; then he can do his show.
Sam's situation right now is similar to that of AJ McCarron. He has a TV show in the making, or his fiancée is. It's complicated. Just like Sam, McCarron is unaccomplished in his professional career as of yet.
However, the most shocking thing out of all of this isn't the fact that they don't deserve shows yet. This could just be your humble correspondant's personal intuition, but do either of these players come off as reality show personalities to you? This writer doesn't seem to think so. Michael Sam is smart, and so is McCarron, but they also seem kind of boring. When this writer thinks of sports and reality shows, he thinks of Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson. They have that energy. That "look at me" vibe that perfectly fits reality TV. Neither Sam nor McCarron have that. This writer doesn't think that they fit on TV.
That bares the next issue. If they both had television shows depicting their normal lives, they would be snoozers. But like most TV shows, the individual episodes would be scripted to build attention. If there were situations that made the show interesting, but were also controversial, that would create distractions for the respective teams of both players, regardless of where they are at in the season. Teammates would always get questioned about it, and there would be a clear divide in the locker room. That would lower team morale, and it would hurt both players' chances of making a positive impact on their teams. For McCarron, that would be being a potential starter in the future. For Sam, it would be just staying on the team. Distractions aren't coveted features teams want. Reality shows would bring unwanted disturbances.
When Michael Sam was selected with the 249th pick in the NFL Draft, he stood alone, not because he lacked of support, but because he was the first openly gay player to come into the league. Yes, even in 2014, we still have "firsts." Yet, many people are comparing Sam's situation to Jackie Robinson when he broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. But it isn't the same. Robinson didn't advertise his race. He just wanted to play baseball. Michael Sam claims that he "just wants to be a football player," but he's the one that came out, has his own site where people can buy merchandise, and was primed to be on reality TV- all before he even got drafted. Jackie Robinson endured unbelievable hardship when he broke into the league. Michael Sam will endure some as well, but his adversity will be mostly self-inflicted. In addition to that, Sam isn't as great a prospect as Robinson was. His talent was never questioned. The same can't be said for Michael Sam. Both made historic advances in our culture, but don't be mistaken. Each player portrayed himself in different lights.
Now, there is one player that Sam compares to- Tim Tebow. There's a misconception that Tebow was ridiculed for being a Christian. He wasn't ragged for being religious; he was ragged because he couldn't throw the football. He didn't get traded to the Jets because he was too open about his faith. He was traded because Peyton Manning was on the market and Denver, like the well-run franchise they are, decided to invest their immediate future in a proven quarterback over a fundamentally flawed college quarterback.
The focus on Tebow was partially on his faith, but he's not the first player to be an open Christian, and he won't be the last. The infatuation with Tebow was because of his religion. Here was a professional football player who was the ultimate sportsman. He didn't commit crimes. He didn't curse. How could he be hated? Tebow is one of the more likable players of the last 10 years. Russell Wilson is a Christian, but he can actually throw the football. Nobody focuses on his faith. Why? Because he can play. Tebow couldn't play, so his likability and appeal was something fans could fall back on. That's why they rooted for him when even the Broncos bailed.
The focus on Michael Sam has been magnified since he announced that he was gay. He has advertised his sexuality, and the announcement of his now postponed show proves this point. But Tebow advertised his faith too. He wrote Bible verses on his eye black. Tebow thanked God in every interview and always mentioned his faith in post-game interviews. He had the Super Bowl commercial with his mom that brought up abortion, albeit subtly. So let's not assume that Tebow shied away and humbly brought up his religion.
The major difference between the two is that Tebow's main focus was playing football. He didn't have an agenda. The same cannot be said for Michael Sam. That being said, both players bring unwanted distraction to their respective teams (Tebow isn't in the NFL right now, but wasn't a good fit for New York) because of their perrogatives off the field.
Michael Sam isn't getting pushed around. He's not being forced to sign off for a reality show. He wasn't being coerced into making money off his own website that sells merchandise. He's not being told what to do. He knows what he's doing. Is it detrimental to his image? Yes, and it's his responsibility. It's easy to say that Oprah took advantage of him, but the show wouldn't have already been in production had he not signed off on it. It's also easy to praise his representatives for helping to postpone the show, even though his advisors are producers of the show. This isn't like Manti Te'o not knowing that his "girlfriend" wasn't real. Michael Sam's reps aren't using him. He's in the gag too.
Beliefs and prerogatives look insincere when you try to profit off of them. The case went from "Michael Sam coming out and looking to be accepted" - to - "Michael Sam has a reality show that he's going to make money off of."
It's like televangelists, who make their livings teaching the public their own doctrines. Whether or not you believe their teachings, some people do, and the televangelists make millions because of it. However, it's been proven that some aren't angels themselves. And we've all heard about it. Jimmy Swaggart- sex scandal: caught with a prostitute. Jimmy Bakker- sex scandal: rape. This writer is not saying that Michael Sam is a bad person. In fact, this writer applauds Sam for being courageous and coming out, but just like the televangelists making millions of dollars teaching their own versions of the Gospel, he was trying to make money off his journey.
Let's not forget how stacked the Rams are at defensive end. Robert Quinn was the NFC's sack leader in 2013, and he also made the All-Pro team. Chris Long was a Pro Bowl alternate last year. They're even loaded at linebacker. Where exactly would Michael Sam fit in this offense? He's not starting on an already stout defense.
Michael Sam's TV show was a bad idea from the start. It would exploit his journey of trying to make the team. And besides, why need a reality show? The constant news coverage is reality TV in and of itself. The NFL is a reality show in a sense because we follow it and it's part of our lives. We've seen everything we needed to about his journey so far. It should be his primary focus to try to make the team. And as for any other venture he would like to pursue so he can make more money? Well, more power to him. It's his life.
His motivation for success shouldn't be geared by publicity; it should be geared by football.