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." 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It also put the finishing touches on a great all-around performance from the blossoming second-year guard. Oladipo finished with 32 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals as the Magic beat the Houston Rockets 120-113 on Wednesday night. Nik Vucevic posted 25 points and 12 rebounds, while rookie point guard Elfrid Payton added 15 points, six boards and four assists for the Magic, who have won back-to-back games on the heels of a six-game losing streak. James Harden had 26 points, 10 assists and five steals for Houston, which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Dwight Howard supplied 23 points and eight boards against his former team Howard had been averaging 24.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game in four prior meetings against Orlando since being traded by the Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2012. A Trevor Ariza 3-pointer and a short Donatas Motiejunas jumper on consecutive Houston possessions staked it tto a 107-104 advantage with 2:42 left, but Orlando ripped off the next seven points.dddddddddddd. A pair of Payton layups preceded a Channing Frye triple as Orlando established a 111-107 cushion with 1:20 remaining. Harden found Motiejunas at the other end for a layup before a Vucevic 3-point play and Oladipos emphatic slam sealed the outcome. Earlier, Frye nailed two treys and the Magic raced off to an 11-2 start. Orlando led 29-19 following a quarter of play, but Houston used a 13-4 run to begin the second and claw within 33-32. Patrick Beverley hit a triple in the waning seconds of the opening half to get the Rockets within 55-52 heading into the break. Hardens layup in the final minute of the third quarter helped Houston go into the final frame with an 85-84 edge. Game Notes Orlandos Tobias Harris missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury ... The Rockets fell to 11-4 against Eastern Conference opponents, including 6-2 on the road ... Houston dropped to 19-4 when Harden scores at least 25 points ... Orlando netted 26 points off 21 Houston turnovers. ' ' 'ke it a three-point game once again. The footwork wasnt finished there though as Maher had another single, this one off a 60-yard punt. The Eskimos tried for a 50-yard field goal late but it was wide and run out of the end zone to end the half. ' ' '