Gay NFL Prospect’s Appeal to Endorsers Will Depend on His Play

Sports and Society Administrator February 21, 2014 0

By Scott Soshnick
Bloomberg.com | Feb 11, 2014

Michael Sam’s income from off-field activities will be determined by his on-field performance and not his sexual orientation.

Sam, who is eligible to be selected in May’s National Football League draft, in separate interviews with ESPN and the New York Times two days ago said he was gay, making public what he’d told University of Missouri teammates before last season.

“Long term, his play will have the biggest impact on his ability to maintain endorsements and sponsorships,” said Mark Elderkin, chief executive officer of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Gay Ad Network. “He needs to prove himself as a person and professional athlete.”

The 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive end last season was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Southeastern Conference with 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, helping the Tigers to the conference championship game.

To read the entire article click here: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-11/gay-nfl-prospect-s-play-seen-determining-number-of-endorsements.html

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