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ESPN is now reporting on how often Michael Sam showers with teammates

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Alex Abad-Santos
Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic.

The St. Louis Rams’ Michael Sam sleeps with and has feelings for men. He’s gay. Though the U.S. is as gay-friendly as ever, there are still some people who don’t grasp this concept.

Enter ESPN’s SportsCenter, which is reporting on how Michael Sam is fitting in with his team. Because Sam is a gay man, this means reporting on which teammates are okay with showering in the same room as him, how often he showers, and whether or not he is creeping on his teammates.

ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported:

Another Rams defensive player told me that “Sam is respecting our space” and that, from his perspective, he seems to think that Michael Sam is waiting to kind of take a shower, as not to make his teammates feel uncomfortable.

No other 2014 NFL rookies have been asked about their showering habits.

Cyd Zeigler, the co-founder of Outsports, a site that focuses sports from an LGBT perspective had a response to Anderson’s investigative shower work:

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