Michael Sam’s Biggest Obstacle: NFL Front Offices, Not NFL Players - Nancy Goldstein - The Atlantic

Michael Sam’s Biggest Obstacle: NFL Front Offices, Not NFL Players - Nancy Goldstein - The Atlantic: So what’s up with the tut-tutting from the NFL’s front office? It may be that the big difference between their panic and the NCAA College Football’s maturity is money—particularly the big money that corporate sponsors and advertisers bring to the NFL and don’t bring to the NCAA. When an anonymous official in Sports Illustrated says, “the league isn’t ready for this,” it’s likely code for “We’re afraid that having an openly gay player on board means that ticket sales will drop, or male viewers will be turned off, or that Bud Light and Marriott and Pepsi and GMC won’t want to pay top dollar to advertise with us.” In short, members of the NFL’s front office may be afraid that Sam will compromise their brand.