HYPE Day

HYPE Day: Michael Sam

NCAA All-American Football Player and LGBT Athlete

The 2013 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a University of Missouri football star was primed for an early round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Michael Sam’s talents on the field were nearly sidelined when he came out as gay during an ESPN interview. While his revelation sent shockwaves through the sports world and resulted in a last round pick by the St. Louis Rams, Michael emerged as a powerful and prominent icon for inclusion, a pioneer for the LGBTQ community, and an exemplar of the resilience and tenacity of the human spirit.