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while this is true partly we'd be fooling ourselves if we thought michael was going to be a first round selection because he was co-defensive player of the year. his combine numbers were particularly unimpressive and that hurt his selection far more than his sexual orientation. the nfl combine is a series of tests that top prospects undergo before entering the nfl draft. before the combine sam was projected as a 3rd rounder. after the combine sam's future plummeted. turns out he was slow and weak (upper body). he was not a top performer in any physical test though he tested well psychologically. did his orientation have a role in his drop? probably. but not by much. after the combine sam was projected as a 5th or 6th round pick. hardly the millionaire described. some numbers are below. his 4.91 second 40-yard dash was shocking. i'm not sure where that put him exactly but it wasn't in the top 15 for linebackers. the 15th ran a 4.74. for defensive lineman, which he tested among but is really more a linebacker, the 15th was 4.84. that margin is significant to talent assessors. 4.91 was more like a fast offensive lineman, someone 40-50 pounds heavier, and less athletic. sam pressed 225 pounds 17 times. again not in the top 15 of linebackers and the 15th did 23. the 15th defensive lineman pressed it 27 times. 8 wide receivers did better than sam, players 40-70 pounds lighter. this is important to people picking players for their teams. sam apparently plays better than he tests. but a player who did not announce he was gay might have expected the same drop in the draft after a poor combine. maybe not to the 7th round, but to the 5th or 6th easily. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Louis Proyect" <[email protected]> To: "Charles Faulkner" <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, May 11, 2014 7:18:54 AM Subject: Re: [Marxism] Michael Sam Picked by St. Louis Rams in N.F.L. Draft ====================================================================== Rule #1: YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. ====================================================================== On 5/10/14 7:04 PM, Louis Proyect wrote: > NY Times, May 10 2014 > Michael Sam Picked by St. Louis Rams in N.F.L. Draft > By THE NEW YORK TIMES > > Michael Sam was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round on > Saturday, becoming the first publicly gay player to be drafted by an > N.F.L. team. > A comment on this from my old friend Richard Greener: Sam's end-of-draft selection caps a shameful episode in American sports history and the NFL in particular. Sam was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He was the best defensive player in the best college football conference. All those who previously won this same award have been high Round 1 selections with a single exception who was selected in Round 2. They all became instant multi-millionaires. Sam should have easily been among the top 30 players in the draft and no lower than the top 50. His selection as #249 will cost him millions of dollars and as a 7th Round draft choice he is clearly slated to being cut and never making the actual team. rarely does a late round choice make the team. If he stands out in training camp, at best he might get a one-year contract at the league minimum pay. This choice was an act of cowardice by the NFL and major American sports. It should not be hailed as a victory for anyone or anything except anti-gay prejudice. Earlier this year I showed all the data and asked the question which has now been sadly answered. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-greener/michael-sam-and-the-nfl_b_4762428.html ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/lacenaire%40comcast.net ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: [email protected] Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
