© 2026 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WATCH: Michael Sam, Boyfriend React To Draft Pick

Michael Sam runs through drills during the 2014 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24. Sam is the first openly gay player to be drafted by the NFL.
USA Today Sports
/
Reuters/Landov
Michael Sam runs through drills during the 2014 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24. Sam is the first openly gay player to be drafted by the NFL.

After being drafted by the St. Louis Rams, Michael Sam is poised to become the first openly gay player in the NFL.

NPR's Steve Mullis already covered the news. But the historic moment was also captured by ESPN cameras. It was an emotional moment that culminated in a kiss with his boyfriend.

Here's how Andrew Sullivan describes it: "Football, masculinity, race, and love collide together — in a few, too-human moments that defy any words. It's a new world."

Here's the video:

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.
KCUR is here for Kansas City, because Kansas City is here for KCUR.

Your support makes KCUR's work possible — from reporting that keeps officials accountable, to storytelling that connects our community. You can make sure the future of local journalism is strong.