It has been an awesome year in sports, both professionally and right here at DU.
I’m personally looking forward to a couple months away from classes, and I’m certain everyone else who is taking the summer off of school agrees. The break does come with some drawbacks though. Friends are leaving town, finding new living arrangements can be stressful, and there are no more DU sports to help weather the storm.
But as we are about to say goodbye to cheering on our fellow Pios for the summer, the world of sports will keep producing stories. And for all the Pioneer fans dreading the end of lacrosse season, and incidentally the end of DU athletics, there’s always next year.
This column has covered many different topics in the world of sports over the last couple months. Michael Sam, the openly gay football player from the University of Missouri, has just been drafted onto the St. Louis Rams. While this isn’t by any means a surprising development, as Sam was widely expected to be drafted, the aftermath of the decision could be bigger than anticipated.
The problem isn’t that Sam is gay. There will inevitably be a few naysayers, but the league as a whole is ready to accept players regardless of their sexual orientation.
The problem may come with Sam himself, who has signed on to do a show for the Opera Winfrey Network. This controversial decision has received mixed opinions from players around the league.
Personally I think it’s a bad move. Television shows in the past have only helped to further alienate players and their teammates (think Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson). Furthermore, it creates a spectacle around Sam based on his sexual preference, making his personal life the focus rather than his play on the field.
It is the opposite of what Sam should be trying to accomplish. His sexual preference shouldn’t be forgotten and is an important moment for the NFL, but it definitely shouldn’t be the focus.
Hopefully Sam will never have to face prejudice in the NFL, although its basketball counterpart has certainly had its fair share.
In the wake of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s decision to ban Clippers owner Donald Sterling and to fine him 2.5 million dollars, Sterling has spoken up about the incident.
He claims that the racist remarks for which he was banned were an isolated incident that he was bated.
He has also refused to pay his fine and is threatening to sue the league.
Regardless of Sterling’s comments, he is a cancer that both the Clippers and the rest of the league want to, and should, remove.
Whether or not it takes a long legal battle to achieve this remains to be seen, but the NBA won’t stop until he is gone.
These are two stories to keep an eye on as they will certainly continue for a while.
Although there are several stories that will take a while to hear about again.
It won’t be until next year that we will get to see if Denver hockey can become legitimate contenders for a national title, if skiing can do it again, or if the men’s and women’s golf teams can sweep the Summit Conference once more.
Enjoy the remaining DU sports while you can, because it will be months until the crimson and gold come out again to play.
