Reference no: EM133230785

Dale Hansen is a seasoned journalist who has served as the lead sports anchor for WFAA Dallas, a local affiliate for ABC, since 1983. In February 2014, Hansen suddenly found a national audience when his defense of Michael Sam went viral. At the time, Sam was a senior and star defensive end at the University of Missouri. He was a consensus All-American and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Coming out as gay just as he entered the NFL Draft, though, Sam suddenly saw his prospects take a turn for the worst. Projected to be selected in the third or fourth round of the NFL Draft, Sam fell to the seventh round as some critics suggested the first openly gay football player would be a distraction for his eventual team.

Reporting in a fairly conservative news market, Dale Hansen used his nightly commentary segment to address the Michael Sam "controversy." His defense of Sam led to over 1,000 emails from viewers across the country, multiple invites to appear on national talk shows, and even some negative messages from those who disliked his comments. However, even many conservative icons like Rush Limbaugh claimed that Hansen had made some "good points." Ultimately, many believed Hansen was displaying virtuous argumentation.

Now that you are familiar with the context of the story, watch Dale Hansen's commentary.