In early 2014, news was made in the NFL. A young defensive end, Michael Sam came out as gay publicly. In the NFL’s 94 year history, Sam is the first openly gay player. I had found it astonishing  that there have been no players before Sam to come out. However, once I read this article I quickly understood why current and past players have been apprehensive about publicizing their sexual orientation. Players, coaches and other personnel involved in the sport of Football have been quoted as saying “we should round up all the gays” and “nuke them.” Comments like this tend to be unacceptable by the general public. Contrarily, the NFL has not done anything to punish those who make these comments. If the league is not able to control what its representatives do and say they may see tough times ahead. As news revolving around the NFL continues to be released, the league’s reputation continues to disintegrate. It is my assumption that if the league continues to ignore these problems it will start to lose its fan base and potentially its sponsors. Therefore, diminishing the value of its brand. Personally, I think it is good that Michael Sam has come out and put this issue into the spotlight. This will give the league an opportunity to improve its current reputation by showing the public that it is a non-issue. Subsequently, the league may benefit rather than receive criticism for its lack of compassion toward this sensitive issue.