Michael Sam Reality Show Mercifully Postponed

It looks like someone in the camp of Michael Sam, who was recently drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round, has finally wised up. On Friday evening ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweeted that the OWN documentary series planned for Sam had been postponed.

Considering the surprise announcement had been met with nearly universal disdain within the sports world, this is welcome news. Sam has already been overexposed in recent months, starring in hist own reality show wasn’t going to do much to help that perception.

And let’s be real, we’re talking about a reality show, not a documentary. OWN recently produced and aired Lindsay, which chronicled the misadventures of tabloid disaster Lindsay Lohan over a period of time. Lindsay was also pegged as a “docu-series,” but it was no more a documentary than Keeping up with the Kardashians or the Real Housewives of Wherever. 

OWN president Erik Logan issued a statement which said, “OWN is about elevating and empowering people to achieve their best. It’s clear that we, along with the world, recognize the opportunity that Michael has in this moment. We will continue to support him in his journey to earn a spot playing for the Rams.”

Sam’s agent Cameron Weiss said, “After today’s meeting with the Rams, we felt it is best to postpone the project. This will allow Michael to have total focus on football, and will ensure no distractions to his teammates. Everybody involved remains committed to this project and understands its historical importance as well as its positive message.”

The discussion with the Rams obviously didn’t go the way they had hoped, as it was reported earlier this week that the team would not grant filming access or participate in the project in any way. It wasn’t just the idea of a reality show that didn’t sit well, but also the fact that Sam had negotiated the deal prior to the draft and kept it a secret.

Said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, “We learned of this in the days after the draft.”

Well that sounds awkward.