Earlier this year, Michael Sam, an all American defensive lineman from Missouri, came out of the closet, publicly. Said event, was all over newspapers and sport channels. Michael Sam had blown up. He changed the game. He could become the first openly gay player in NFL history. Sam became a celebrity, a hero, a role model, but was it all truly for the right reason? Should Sam’s sexuality define who he is? What should people perceive him as? Is his talent even significant anymore? Who is Michael Sam without his sexuality?

In order to achieve equality for all, we must treat everyone equally, and exploiting an athlete for his or her sexuality is not equal treatment. Yes, Sam was both very courageous and heroic for coming out as the “first” openly gay NFL draftee in a time of dubious acceptance toward gays, but this doesn’t mean that his talent as a football should be less recognized. Players like Peyton Manning are being recognized and praised for their talent on the football field, whereas Sam is being recognized and praised for his talent in the dating field. Why does Sam’s sexuality have to be relevant to his career? Why can’t Sam just be known for playing for a team, rather than playing for the other team? He was considered the premier defensive player in the most competitive conference in College Football after all! This exploitation of sexuality is what is subliminally creating more of a stigma against gays. Although many people in the LGBTQ community are beyond ecstatic and grateful for Sam, others may believe that his coming out was just completely blown out of proportion to the point of it becoming inappropriate.

Sam had previously stated that his coming out is “a big deal. No one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be … I want to be a football player in the NFL.” But was his coming out truly a big deal, or did he and journalists and news reporters and most importantly, society, make it into one? Whose business but his own was it that he was a homosexual? If we treat these previous “issues” as commonality, they will become one. It has been stated that Sam had a very tough childhood, from seeing his brother shot and killed at a very young age, to having two older brothers in and out of jail, but this background story is not nearly as praised over as his sexuality, which is ridiculous. Instead, Sam has become famous for the wrong reason.He is even getting his own television show on The Oprah Winfrey Network, focusing on his life as the first openly gay player in the NFL—ahis “private” journey, which is not even so private anymore. So in the end, is all of this publicity even fair? Do ESATBLISHED athletes like Drew Brees get TV shows for being a straight NFL player? No. Brees is a football player, not a reality TV star. Of course there is nothing wrong with Sam being gay, but it seems that Sam is more focused on his image than his love for the game.

Instead of Sam treating himself as a rare breed, he should’ve treated himself as a regular football player. The attention-seeking image he has made for himself now draws even more issues for him and his career. Everything that happens to him from here on out will revolve around who he’s sleeping with at night. Did his sexual orientation affect his draft stock? Will everything be blamed on his homosexuality now? Should commentators watch what they say about him in fear of being labeled a homophobe? How is this fair for anybody? That’s right, it isn’t. On February 22, 2014, Sam stated, “I just wish that you guys would see me as Michael Sam the football player, not Michael Sam the gay football player.” Well, it’s way too late for that, Sam, and you know it. After all, you did it to yourself. You were your own worst enemy.