Michael Sam was the star of the ESPY Awards Wednesday night in Los
Angeles, where he gave a tearful and inspirational speech about coming
out as a gay college football player and recently being drafted to the
St. Louis Rams.
Sam -- accompanied by his boyfriend Vito Cammisano -- received the
Arthur Ashe Courage Award, and gave a speech in which he explained how
Ashe's own words had guided him this year.
Here are the most touching moments from the speech:
"This year I have a lot of experience being part of something a
lot bigger than myself. At times I've felt like I've been living in a
massive storm, and I know the storm will end. I'm here tonight to tell
you that the lessons I learned about love, respect, and being true to
yourself will never leave me."
"The late great Arthur Ashe wasn't just courageous he was
brilliant too. He put all the wisdom in the world into three great
sentences: Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Those are words to live by whether you're black or white, young or old,
straight or gay."
| "It's amazing to think just doing what we can we can call touch, change, and even save lives." |
"'Use what you have.' What I have is the privilege to play a
game i love with all my heart. Football raised me, taught me about hard
work, about discipline, and about teamwork. Whatever passion or talent
you have follow it, I followed mine and it got me all the way to this
stage here tonight so I can look out and see so many of my heroes
looking back at me."
"Finally Arthur Ashe said do what you can. Those have been very
meaningful words to me, and the way I see it, my responsibility at this
moment in history is to stand up for everybody out there who wants
nothing more than to be themselves openly."
| "To anyone out there especially young people feeling like they don't fit in and will never be accepted, please know this, great things can happen when you have the courage to be yourself." |
