By Elizabeth Michaud
Michael Sam, an all-American defensive end expected to be a top draft choice in the NFL, revealed that he is gay during an ESPN interview on Sunday. While the gay rights movement has gained ground throughout the United States, this revelation marks a first for professional football — a challenge to its stereotypical machismo and homophobia.
This disclosure came days after Mercury stationed retrograde in Pisces, aspecting several planets in Sam’s chart.
The most prominent of these aspects is a trine between Mercury and Sam’s natal Jupiter in Cancer — granting emotional sensitivity, depth and an almost clairvoyant quality. Jupiter has a flair for optimism, and this trine with the planet of communication (Mercury) facilitated an easy flow for the young, self-confident athlete.
During the interview Sam discussed the reaction of his University of Missouri teammates when he came out to them last August: “They rallied around me, they supported me and I knew in that moment, that this can happen anywhere, if my team could support me, any team could support me.”
As Eric wrote last month, “The truth comes out when Mercury stations either retrograde or direct.” In Michael Sam’s case, his truth may help transform the social stigma of being gay in professional sports. If drafted, he will be the first openly gay man playing in any of the four major leagues: football, basketball, baseball and hockey.
Sam’s faith in a positive outcome is a testament to his true grit and fortitude. He has seven siblings, including a sister who died at two years old and a brother who was shot and killed at 15. Two of his brothers are in jail, and one has been missing since 1998. He admits his family was notorious in their hometown of Hitchcock, Texas, but somehow Sam managed to convert these hardships into a triumph: he devoted himself to the sport he loved, and eventually became the first person in his family to be accepted into college.