Michael Sam, a University of Missouri defensive tackle and SEC defensive Player of the Year, will enter the NFL draft in May as an openly gay man.

ESPN:

Sam stated publicly what his teammates and coaches at Mizzou have known since August: "I am an openly, proud gay man."

Stop the presses! Mr. Sam is proud of something - his sexual preference - that everyone who isn't a gay activist takes for granted. What exactly is Mr. Sam "proud" of?

Sam is eligible for the NFL draft in May. Assuming that he is drafted, Sam could become the first openly gay player in the history of the NFL.

"I understand how big this is," he said. "It's a big deal. No one has done this before. And it's kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be ... I want to be a football player in the NFL."

In 2014, "Gay Man to Enter Workforce" has the everyday-occurrence sound of a headline in The Onion. But when the NFL is involved, it's a first -- and potentially a landmark moment -- in the history of American sports.

The New York Times headlined their news article, "NFL Prospect Proudly Says What Teammates Knew: He's Gay." How exactly do you state "proudly" that you're gay? Is it in the tone of voice? A lift of the eyebrow? No -we are being instructed on how to react to Mr. Sam's announcement. This is how good, tolerant people should feel. Very well, thanks NY Times. I wouldn't have known how to react otherwise.

And think on this - the only reason Sam's gayness matters if he is drafted is that the NFL and other pro sports are notoriously homophobic - far more than the general population. It shouldn't be a big deal. In fact, gays march in parades telling us it's not a big deal to be gay.

OK - so why make it a big deal?

I will never understand this narcisistic impulse among many gays to flaunt their sexual preference. This is a personal and private matter that most of the rest of us aren't interested in knowing. I don't want to know your likes and dislikes in bed and you shouldn't be concerned about mine. But our sex-obsessed society allows for these displays because it is now really, really kewl to be gay. There is a cachet to it. It's popular. It's a fad. And how are you going to be hip with the in-crowd unless you openly flaunt your sexual preference?

Tolerance is a good thing. I'm all for it. But being tolerant doesn't mean you have to shut your mouth when people make fools of themselves. I hope that some day, it won't matter to anyone what goes on in the privacy of your own bedroom and there will be no need to stand up in a room full of reporters and announce your sexual prefence as if it was actually news.