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Any NFL team that drafts Michael Sam will be taking on much more than a rookie pass-rusher. Nike Air Max 97 Femme Pas Cher . But experts say the smart approach for a team that signs the leagues first openly gay athlete -- from a marketing and public relations standpoint -- is to simply let Sams on-field play speak for him and his team. "While this is a significant announcement given the sport, the general hope is that hes just accepted as one of the other men on the roster, and therefore his marketability is still simply tied to his ability to play well on the field and ultimately make the team," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. Sam declared Sunday that he is gay in interviews with ESPN, The New York Times and Outsports. The Missouri All-American had already come out last August to his coaches and teammates, who respected his privacy. Now Sam is entering uncharted territory as he prepares for the NFL draft. The SECs co-defensive player of the year was projected to be a mid-round selection. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Sam will likely have to transition to outside linebacker, which could impact where hes drafted. But announcing hes gay could also have an impact on his draft status. "Im not naive to think there arent potentially some owners or executives out there who will say, Eh, Im not so sure now." said Golden State Warriors President and Chief of Operations Rick Welts, who came out publicly in 2011. "But also, I hope, there are a lot who would say, Theres an opportunity to do something that I think our fans would actually embrace. And if were supposed to win football games, if this guy helps us win football games, thats somebody we should have on our roster." Sam, 24, joins a growing list of active athletes to publicly come out, including Robbie Rogers, a winger for Major League Soccers Los Angeles Galaxy, and Brittney Griner, who plays for the WNBAs Phoenix Mercury. Conner Mertens, a kicker for Division III Willamette University, came out as bisexual late last month, and is believed to have been the first active college football player to publicly announce his sexuality. Griner, as one of the WNBAs brightest stars, was the centerpiece of the Mercurys marketing campaign. She also made a point of supporting causes that are important to her. "There was nothing about her that was difficult in marketing. We supported what she wanted to do with bullying and the LGBT community. We made those connecting points," said Amber Cox, president of the Mercury before leaving to go to the Big East last fall. Nike has also thrown support to LGBT athletes, signing both Griner and Jason Collins, a former NBA player who came out last year, to sponsorship deals, and launching its "Be True" campaign. Profits from the .BeTrue collection are being donated to the LGBT Sports Coalition to support the goal of ending discrimination in sport. Mark Elderkin of the Gay Ad Network, an online media platform for national advertisers, said NFL teams need only look at Sams track record. "Theyre going to make their choices based on who the best college athletes are. And theyre going to choose Michael if they deem him the best pick. So, I think they need to focus on the facts, and his performance over the years, his All-America status and everything hes done for Missouri," Elderkin said. "Also his relationships with the fans, and with the positive energy he has around his teammates and their full support, shows that hes not going to be disruptive to the team in any way, but is going to add value." But its still a reality that gay athletes face a backlash. Derogatory comments were easily found among the positive posts on social media and other online commentary following Sams announcement. A Pew Research survey last year of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in the U.S. found that just 4 per cent saw pro sports leagues as friendly toward LGBT people, while 59 per cent saw the leagues as unfriendly and 36 per cent saw them as neutral. Still, even over the past year there have been significant overall victories in gay and lesbian rights, most notably two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in June. One ruling cleared the way for ending a ban on same-sex marriages in California; the other struck down a 1996 law passed by Congress that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages. It remains to be seen how growing tolerance extends to the NFL playing field. "I think the point thats being made in a lot of the discussion is, Lets just move on," Swangard said. "If the guy makes a team, then he makes the team. His sexual orientation shouldnt be the story." Air Max 97 Off White Pas Cher . Wearing bib No. 1, Maze skied through the gates cleanly to defend her big first-run lead and finish 0.07 seconds ahead of Anna Fenninger of Austria. Defending champion Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany was third, trailing 0. Air Max 720 Femme Pas Cher .Y. - DeMarre Carroll felt as though he couldnt miss in the second quarter as he outscored the Brooklyn Nets 14-13 all by himself. http://www.maxnikepascher.fr/grossiste-air-max-270.html .Y. -- The Buffalo Bills have fired receivers coach Ike Hilliard.DENVER -- Anze Kopitars first goal helped the Los Angeles Kings get back in the game. His second stood up for the winner. Kopitar had two goals and an assist, knocking in the decisive score in the final period, and the Kings rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-4 on Wednesday night. "Those two quick (goals) at the end of the second were huge and we carried that momentum into the third," Kopitar said. "Its nice to start off the third with a power play." The Kings had the man advantage when Jeff Carter, in the middle of a scramble in front of the net, swung at a loose puck, sending it straight up in the air. When the puck hit the ice, Kopitar got his stick on it and sent it into the net past Jean-Sebastian Giguere at 3:13 of the third. Justin Williams added an empty-net goal with 11 seconds left to cap the scoring as both teams returned to action after the Olympic break. "At the end of the day, we got the two points. It wasnt the easiest two points, but well take it," Kopitar said. Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said for the most part, he liked the way his squad competed in the first game back off the break, despite blowing a two-goal lead. "No one is perfect after two weeks off," Roy said. "But weve been working hard and you dont want to let a game like this affect you, especially because I think there are a lot of positives. I think we need to come back on Friday (against Phoenix) with the same attitude that we had today." Jamie McGinn snapped a 2-2 tie when he scored on the power play at 8:57 of the second period off a centring pass from Ryan OReilly, who scored the Avalanches first goal earlier. It was McGinns 15th goal of the season. Colorado went up 4-2 later in the second on Andre Benoits third goal of the season. He knocked in a rebound on the power play, CColorados third score with the man advantage. Nike Air Max Soldes. Nathan MacKinnon helped set up the score with a shot that was stopped by Martin Jones, but the puck trickled out and Benoit punched it with his stick into the net. The Kings re-tied it at 4 with a pair of goals little more than two minutes apart. Kopitar back-handed a shot into the net at 16:49 and Carter put in an equalizer at 18:53 of the second, redirecting Mike Richards shot past Giguere. "Great play by Kopi, just stick it out there," Kings defenceman Matt Greene said. "When you get down by two, youve got to answer, and we got that pretty quickly." Los Angeles opened the scoring on Robyn Regehers first-period goal and pulled even at 2-all when Jarret Stoll knocked the puck past Giguere 24 seconds into the second period. P.A. Parenteau gave the Avs a short-lived 2-1 lead at 16:32 of the first. Matt Duchene sent a pass across the slot and Parenteau slapped it into the right corner of the net before Kings goalie Martin Jones could slide over to block it. NOTES: Avalanche D Erik Johnson served the first of his two-game suspension for his slash on New York Islanders C Frans Nielsen on Feb. 8. Nielsen was placed on injured reserve with a fractured left hand. ... Avs C Maxime Talbot was a late scratch, leaving the team to be with his fiancee after she went into labour. ... Avs D Andre Benoit is one shy of his 100th career NHL game. ... The Kings Dustin Brown played in his 700th NHL game. ... C Jordan Nolan of the Kings was shaken up when he lost his balance and barrelled into the boards early in the second period. A trainer assisted him off the ice and he was taken to the locker room for treatment. ... The Kings allowed more than three goals in a game for only the 10th time in 60 games this season. ' ' '