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Dale Hansen Takes On Gay Football Player’s Critics

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Five stories that have North Texas talking: Dale Hansen has a passionate response to the Michael Sam debate, how the drought is affecting our barbecue, a sequel to "Disney Hipster Princesses," and more.

Michael Sam, a defensive lineman from the University of Missouri, was a highly sought-after prospect in the NFL draft. When the Texas native announced earlier this week he was gay, sports analysts were unsure if the league would be ready for its first openly gay player. The announcement may have been a shock to sports commentators and Sam’s father, but not to Sam’s Missouri teammates. A reporter with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch also said the player’s secret wasn’t much of a secret to local media. But the NFL is a whole different ballgame, right? WFAA’s Dale Hansen says it shouldn’t be:

It wasn't that long ago when we were being told that black players couldn't play in "our" games because it would be "uncomfortable." And even when they finally could, it took several more years before a black man played quarterback. Because we weren't "comfortable" with that, either. So many of the same people who used to make that argument (and the many who still do) are the same people who say government should stay out of our lives. But then want government in our bedrooms. I've never understood how they feel "comfortable" laying claim to both sides of that argument.

Watch the video:

  • It already houses art and VIP lounges, but the AT&T Stadium in Arlington may also get the NFL’s data as well, The Dallas Business Journal reports. The league is eyeing the stadium as a possible data center, which would give it more security against natural disasters. The data center within the stadium already holds the data from the Cowboys some of the Jones family enterprises.

  • If you’ve had barbecue recently and the taste seemed a little off, thank the drought.  KUT reports that as cattle ranchers chose to sell off when their land dried up in 2011, it affected the bounty, Texas Monthly BBQ editor Daniel Vaughn told KUT’s David Brown that it could affect the way our prized barbecue tastes.

  • The Dallas Women’s Foundation will be hosting a dinner and forum at the Double Tree Campbell Center tonight to discuss gender in media. The discussion will focus on around the portrayal of women in the media and entertainment industry. ‘Think’ host Krys Boyd will be one of the featured speakers.

  • The people who brought you the YouTube musical “Hipster Disney Princesses” have come out with their own take on the hit movie, “Frozen.” In the musical short, Elsa and the other Disney Princesses are tired of being damsels in distress. Singer-songwriter and Dallas native Tiger Darrow reprises her role as Snow White. 
Former KERA staffer Krystina Martinez was an assistant producer. She produced local content for Morning Edition and KERANews.org. She also produced The Friday Conversation, a weekly series of conversations with North Texas newsmakers. Krystina was also the backup newscaster for the Texas Standard.