Showing Their Pride

In sports, emotions can run high, and when good things happen, like a touchdown being scored, players can get pretty intimate. It says a lot about the camaraderie in the squad, and the way players get along. But there can also be some underlying connotation.

It’s true for this perfectly timed photo, taken during the Super Bowl game in 2004 between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots. Here the Panthers have scored a touchdown, and their players are celebrating intimately. Meanwhile, Patriots Cornerback Randall Gay puts some context to their celebrations with his surname. Michael Sam is the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL in 2014.