When it comes to platforms that best reach the American audience, playing in the NFL is like winning a gold medal every Sunday. Don’t expect the first gay NFL player to openly advocate for gay rights in his first season—simply playing will be enough—but do expect him to take advantage of some of the endorsement deals to come his way. Nike would be a logical candidate here. Last summer, the WNBA’s Brittney Griner became the first openly gay athlete to sign with the shoe company, only days after it had hosted the first ever LGBT Sports Summit.

Other kinds of revenue will follow. There will be speeches, and at least one book deal, just as there was for Robbie Rogers. The book may not come until the end of Sam’s career, but when it does there will be intense interest in what actually goes on in his NFL locker room. On the surface, it doesn’t appear there will be much of an assimilation problem based on the Twitter outpouring of support from players. But some past and present players like Hines Ward and Chris Culliver have said they do not think an openly gay player would be welcome in an NFL locker room. Moreover, eight anonymous NFL executives and coaches told SI.com they feel Sam’s revelation hurt his draft stock. They believe the franchise drafting him faces a perpetually distracting media frenzy.