Adam Zyglis, May 12, 2014, The Buffalo News

The cartoon depicts Michael Sam, SEC Defensie !layer of the "ear, holding a foot#all
and his fist in the air$ %er his head is a sign reading &'or(ard !rogress$$$) *is right gloe is
rain#o( colored and the +ams sym#ol is on #oth of his sho,lders$ The iss,e that inspired the
cartoon is the drafting of Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in the -'.$ *e (as drafted #y
the +ams 24/th oerall$ The gloe on his left hand sym#oli0es his se1,al orientation #eca,se
the rain#o( flag represents the diersity of the .23T comm,nity$ The cartoonist s,pports
Michael Sam #eca,se the sign indicates that the -'. is moing for(ard$ 4 agree (ith the
cartoonist #eca,se 4 lie in a comm,nity (here se1,al orientation is not an iss,e$ The cartoonist
is li#eral #eca,se he s,pports e5,ality in professional sports$ The style of this cartoon is simple
and forcef,l$
Dae 2ranl,nd, May 16, 2014
Three g,ys are sitting at a diner and tal7ing a#o,t Michael Sam$ They are (earing plaid
shirts, s,spenders and hats$ They are eating coffee, don,ts, and eggs$ The one in the middle is
holding a ne(spaper titled, &Sports -e(s$) The dialog,e #alloons indicate that the main on the
left is 5,estioning the +ams decision in drafting Michael Sam$ The (ay they are dressed
represents them as old fashioned$ The man on the left is concerned that it (ill lead to players
h,gging and patting each other on the #,tt, (hile the g,y (ith the paper points o,t that this is
(hat they already do$ The cartoonist #eliees that haing openly gay players in the -'. (ill not
change their #ehaior$ 4 agree #eca,se it (ill not change foot#all players cond,ct d,ring the
games$ The cartoonist is loo7ing at this iss,e realistically$ The cartoon is meant to #e f,nny #,t
still proes a point$
8oe *eller, 'e#r,ary 11, 2014, Green Bay Press Gazette
4n this cartoon a #artender is sering a lady a glass of (hine$ The lady is 5,estioning
(hy a man ne1t to her is loo7ing sad$ The #artender says that he is distra,ght #eca,se the -'.
is changing$ The sad loo7ing man is (earing a hat that says &3igotry$) This cartoon (as
p,#lished #efore the drafting of Michael Sam$ 4t also mentions the controersy s,rro,nding the
name of the 9ashington foot#all team, the +eds7ins$ There are -atie American gro,ps
opposed to the name #eca,se they #eliee it is a racial sl,r$ The team:s o(ner (ho is (hite has
said he (ill neer change the name of the team$ The cartoonist is dealing (ith #igotry on t(o
fronts, #oth racial and se1,al$ The cartoonist is a progressie #eca,se he is satirising people
(ho ta7e solace in their #igotry$ The cartoon is meant to 5,estion (hy people find intolerance
accepta#le$
8ohn Dar7o(, May 12, 2014, Columbia Daily Tribune
4n the middle of the cartoon there is a +am charging thro,gh a stone (all$ .eaing a
gaping hole and tossing stones eery(here$ *is head is do(n and on his hide it says Michael
Sam$ ;nderneath the cartoon is the title 3arrier 3rea7er$ The drafting of Michael sam #rea7s
the gay #arrier in the -'.$ Michael Sam is portrayed as a ram #eca,se he (as drafted #y the
Saint .o,is +ams$ The s,#stantial appearance of the (all ma7es the point that the #ias against
openly gay players (as a long standing iss,e in the -'.$ The cartoonist #eliees that it is an
important #rea7thro,gh$ The cartoonist portrays Sam positiely$ The cartoonist ma7es the
#rea7ing of the #arrier seem li7e a ictory$ The cartoon intended to eo7e that something good
(as done$
8immy Marg,lies, 'e# 10, 2014
The cartoon is of a foot#all field (ith Michael Sam and a referee$ The referee is holding
a rain#o( flag$ An anno,ncer is saying, &Michael Sam comes o,t of the closet and there<s a flag
on the play=$$$) 9hat the anno,ncer is referring to is not a penalty flag #,t the rain#o( flag,
(hich is the sym#ol for the .23T moement$ The iss,e that is #eing referred to is Michael Sam
reealing his se1,al orientation (ell #efore the -'. draft occ,rred$ The cartoonists opinion is
that it is fine for him to #e gay #,t in some places it (ill #y a ca,se for alarm #eca,se ,s,ally a
flag means a penalty$ Sam loo7s ery pro,d and sec,re (ith his o(n se1,al orientation$ 4 agree
that the iss,e ca,sed a lot of disc,ssion in certain gro,ps$ The cartoonist is li#eral #eca,se he
is not portraying Sam:s #eing gay as a #ad thing$ The cartoon is intending to proo7e s,rprise
that Sam:s #eing gay (o,ld #e an iss,e at all$
Dre( .itton, May 16, 2014, drewlitton.com
Michael Sam is standing on the left from a stat,e of 8ac7ie +o#inson$ Sam is holding a
ne(spaper and is (earing his foot#all gear$ 8ac7ie +o#inson (as the first African American in
Ma>or .eag,e 3ase#all and played as n,m#er 42 for the 3roo7lyn Dodgers$ *e is a sym#ol of
#rea7ing the color #arrier in #ase#all >,st as Sam is #rea7ing the gay #arrier in foot#all$
+o#inson is e1plaining that (hat really co,nts is ho( (ell Sam plays$ *e also adises him to
hae a good set of earpl,gs #eca,se of the ta,nting he (ill ineita#ly receie from the fans$ The
cartoonist is ma7ing the comparison #et(een #rea7ing the color #arrier and Sam:s sit,ation
#eca,se of the pre>,dices #eing oerthro(n$ Cartoonists #eliees it (ill #e a ma>or
#rea7thro,gh in the -'.$ 4 agree (ith the comparison #et(een the pioneers$ 9hat he is does
not matter, (hat co,nts is ho( (ell he plays$ The cartoonist is progressie #eca,se he sho(s
that it is another step to(ards e5,ality$ The cartoon (ants people to reali0e that acceptance is
possi#le$
S,mmary and +eflection
3ased on the cartoons a#oe most of the cartoonist are progressie li#erals$ All of the
cartoons s,pport Sam:s acceptance$ All of the cartoons (ith Sam in them portray him as a
strong and pro,d to #e gay$ There is little negatiity to(ards him in any of the cartoons$ The
ones that do not hae him in it are ma7ing f,n of people ta7ing offense that he is gay and ho(
that (ill affect the -'.$ The cartoonists ,se different deices to e1press their ie(s$ Some ,se
satire (hile others are more simple$ The cartoonists approach to this iss,e did change my ie(
#eca,se they made it seem li7e a stride to(ards e5,ality that and 4 did not thin7 there (o,ld
een #e si1 cartoons a#o,t Michael Sam$ The cartoonist did s,pport the ma>ority opinion #,t 4
co,ld not find any cartoons for the other side$ There hae #een people (ho hae spo7en o,t
and #eliee it is not right #,t there ie(points (ere not e1pressed$ The cartoon 4 li7e the most is
the one #e Dre( .itton$ 4 #eliee (hat 8ac7ie +o#inson says is ery tr,e$ 9hat eery #ody (ill
#e (atching is ho( he performs$ This is affected #y the cro(d so it is important to #loc7 them
o,t$ Sam:s >ersey is the second most pop,lar right no( on -'.$com and he is getting a lot of
press$ *e has agreed to do a doc,mentary series prod,ced #y %prah 9infrey$ Most of the
cartoons are from May or 'e#r,ary$ There (as little actiity in #et(een meaning that this iss,e
(ill li7ely die do(n ,ntil Sam (al7s onto the field$ There is still the possi#ility that the -'. co,ld
find not (orth the noise he is ma7ing$ -'. teams do not li7e noise$ Ta7e the Dener 3roncos$ 4n
2010 the 3roncos drafted Te#o( a highly coeted college foot#all player$ 4n 2010 the 3roncos
(ent 4 and 12 #,t in 2011 (hen Te#o( started they (ent ?@? and made it into the playoffs$ After
that year Te#o( (as c,t een tho,gh he helped t,rn the team aro,nd$ This is #eca,se of all of
the noise$