Any NFL team that drafts Michael Sam will be taking on much more than a rookie pass-rusher. 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." Fake NBA Jerseys . He even addressed his group of relievers Sunday morning. 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Stitched NBA Jerseys . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand.PERTH, Australia - Feeling lethargic and jetlagged, Serena Williams decided a coffee might perk her up after losing her first set 6-0 at the Hopman Cup.It did the trick.Williams recovered to beat Flavia Pennetta 0-6, 6-3, 6-0 on a sweltering day in Perth, John Isner followed up with a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (4) win over Fabio Fognini and the American pair combined to win the doubles for a 3-0 win over Italy in Group A on Monday in the international mixed team competition.Williams later joked it was miracle coffee.The top-ranked Williams laughed loudly as she checked with the chair umpire and then with the tournament referee about the coffee before a ball girl served her the brew on court.I was just feeling it, so I just had to get some coffee into me, Williams said. I just asked them to get me a shot of espresso — I asked them if it was legal, because Ive never done it before. I needed to wake up.Andy Murray had two wins in Britains 2-1 victory over France in Group B, beating Benoit Paire 6-2, 7-5 and then combining with Heather Watson to win the deciding mixed doubles 6-4, 2-6, 10-8. Alize Cornet beat Watson 6-2, 6-2 in the womens singles to make help France level the match 1-1.Williams, the 18-time major winner, said the round-robin nature of the Hopman Cup took some pressure off her ahead of the Australian Open later this month, and she was also heeding some advice from her father, Richard.My dad says, Serena, youve done everything, enjoy yourself, I promise youll play better, Williams was quoted as saying after the match. So Im like, OK. Im trying to relax a bit more and play how I know I can play.The roof was closed to cool the venue in Perth, where temperatures topped 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday, the citys hhottest day since 1991.ddddddddddddIt was raining on the other side of the country in Brisbane, where two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka wasted two match points in the second set before Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic rallied to win 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4.Azarenka, the losing finalist in Brisbane last year, was unseeded after sliding to a year-end No. 32 ranking due to knee and foot injuries in 2014. Slipping further in the rankings this month, Azarenka struggled for consistency against Pliskova, who saved three breakpoints in the last game before serving out the match in 3 hours, 13 minutes. The result means Azarenka is unlikely to be seeded at the Australian Open, which starts Jan. 19.American teenager Madison Keys had a 7-5, 6-2 first-round win over fourth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia earlier Monday, breaking the 2014 Australian Open finalists serve three times in a second set that was briefly interrupted by rain at the semi-enclosed arena.Third-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany beat Caroline Garcia of France 6-4, 6-3.On the mens side at the Brisbane International, Australians ousted two seeded French players, with James Duckworth beating No. 6 Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-2 and Thanasi Kokkinakis beating No. 8 Julien Benneteau 6-4, 6-3.At the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, 31-year-old Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia had an upset 6-3, 6-2 win over second-seeded Sara Errani of Italy.Ana Konjuh of Croatia ousted eighth-seeded Mona Barthel of Germany 6-2, 6-1; 18-year-old American wildcard Taylor Townsend beat former champion and three-time Auckland finalist Yanina Wickmayer 7-5, 3-6, 6-0; and sixth-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States beat Silvia Soler-Espinosa of Spain 6-3, 6-1. 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