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Michael Sam will face a daunting set of challenges that most rookies dont have to deal with when making the already formidable jump from college to the NFL. The SECs co-defensive player of the year is about to find out if Americas most popular sport, rooted in machismo and entrenched in locker room hijinks, is ready for its first openly gay player. First, hell have to find a team willing to put up with the media circus that will surround him. Then, hell have to find acceptance like he did at Missouri, where his sexuality was a non-issue during a 12-2 season. Only now, hell face opponents and their fans who know hes gay. He might even face cheap shots and teammates hesitant to shower alongside him or undress in his presence. While several teams and coaches said Monday that Sams sexual orientation wouldnt affect his draft status, former NFL punter Chris Kluwe, who contends his championing of gay rights led to his release from the Minnesota Vikings last year, wasnt so sure. "The majority of players will be supportive of Michael Sam or just wont care," Kluwe said. "Youll have isolated guys here and there who might try to make a fuss about it, but players by and large are very much, Hey, were here to do a job, were here to go out and play football. "In terms of the coaching/front office side, I think theres where issues are going to arise because they are going to look at this like, Hey, is this going to cause a distraction for the team? And by distraction, they mean, Were not really OK with having a gay player on our team, we cant come out and say that, so were going to use the word distraction," Kluwe added. "And unfortunately, those are the people who determine if youre employed or not." John Elway has a unique perspective running the Broncos front office now after a Hall of Fame playing career, and he said Monday hed have no problem drafting Sam. "We will evaluate Michael just like any other draft prospect: on the basis of his ability, character and NFL potential. His announcement will have no effect on how we see him as a football player," Elway said. "Having spent 16 years in an NFL locker room, the bottom line is that its about treating others with respect and earning that respect. By all indications, it appears Michael has done just that throughout his football career." Several coaches said if a player is accountable and a winner, being gay is a non-issue. "If anybody can come in and help us win games and be successful -- black, white, yellow, straight, gay -- I dont think it matters," said new Green Bay quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt. Before Sam revealed his sexual orientation, the pass-rusher was projected as a mid-round draft pick. Kluwe said reports that Sams draft stock could drop because he revealed his sexual orientation "basically could have been lifted from any American sporting paper in the 1940s when Jackie Robinson was about to enter Major League Baseball. Its like weve been here before. Why do we have to keep doing the same thing?" Sam will likely face even more scrutiny from opponents fans than Chargers linebacker Manti Teo did after getting fooled by a hoax involving a fake girlfriend while at Notre Dame. What will help Sam is landing on a team with strong veteran leadership, something that was lacking in Miami, where tackle Jonathan Martin walked away at midseason, alleging guard Richie Incognito led daily harassment with racial, aggressive and sexually charged comments. Incognito was suspended for the final eight games and Martins career was thrown in limbo. Former Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said Sams performance on the field and as a teammate should quickly overshadow any stereotypes about sexual orientation. "I dont think he faces any challenges as a player. I dont think he faces a lot of challenges as a person," Cooley said. "I think once he establishes himself as the kind of teammate hes going to be, I think everybody will accept it fine." Eagles All-Pro guard Evan Mathis said Sam will face obstacles no matter what. "NFL players shouldnt judge Michael Sam based on his sexuality but some guys will. MLB players shouldnt have judged Jackie Robinson based on his skin colour but some did," Mathis said. "Whether or not the NFL is ready for it, it needs to happen. There are still people on this Earth who lived through the prohibition of alcohol and the Civil Rights movement. They can look back and reflect on how primitive those times were. "Current generations will look back at marijuana prohibition and gays having to fight for equal rights and think how primitive those times were." Wholesale Yeezy China . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Cheap Yeezy Free Shipping . -- Downcast before the final game of what had been a difficult road trip, the Ottawa Senators found a way to dig out a little momentum in the desert before heading home. https://www.yeezychina.us/. Jim Leyland, in his eighth playoffs, has never had a starting rotation he trusts as much as the grouping of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister. Discount Yeezy Store . Plata blasted a rising shot to the upper left corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. He got the kick after referee Allen Chapman ruled Chris Tierney fouled John Stertzer in the penalty area. Clearance Yeezy For Sale . The Philadelphia left fielder clubbed a tiebreaking, solo home run in the seventh inning, and the Phillies edged the Red Sox, 2-1, in the middle test of a three-game interleague series at Citizens Bank Park.It is two years now since Arsene Wenger told the world that qualifying for a top four spot was like winning a trophy. For me, there are five trophies – the first is to win the Premier League, the second is to win the Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League, the fourth is to win the FA Cup and the fifth is to win the League Cup, said Wenger at the 2012 AGM. It is a quote that Arsenals fans have repeated time and time again. The French manager has built up a great deal of collateral with the fan base, thats what happens when you win three league trophies and four FA Cups in your first decade at the club, and Wenger has used this to his advantage time and time again by carefully placing words in the public and knowing many of his backers will use them on his behalf. Fully aware of the order in which he laid those trophies out, Wenger then felt compelled to continue his point: I say that because if you want to attract the best players, they do not ask did you win the League Cup? They ask you do you play in the Champions League? There is, no question, some truth to what Wenger said. Players want to be in the Champions League and play at the highest level but ultimately they know their careers are not defined by the amount of Champions League group games they play in. It is not difficult to understand what footballers want from the game. They are not much different to any sports athlete. Money and trophies. Despite not prioritizing domestic cup competitions, Wengers Arsenal had the FA Cup fall in their laps last season, with many top teams knocked out early, although they still almost dropped it by struggling in the semi final against Wigan and in the final against Hull City. It was the best feeling I had had on a football pitch, said midfielder Aaron Ramsey about the FA Cup victory. We definitely want that feeling again, and as quickly as possible. We want to win things this year and we have a great possibility to do that. Win things. Not Champions League spots. Great footballers used to love playing for Wenger. 1995 World Player of the Year George Weah was so thankful for the Frenchmans influence at his past club, Monaco, that he gave him the award. French World Cup winner Lilian Thuram once said of him: Its always he who guides me, who inspires me. Yet much has changed in the last few years at Wengers Arsenal. There is some irony about Wengers focus that he believes helps to attract the best players because far more of the games best players have left Arsenal in recent years than joined. To the boardroom and club ownership, Wenger is the perfect manager for Arsenal. His apprehension in the transfer market suits their style (and bank balance) and he knows his team will still win one of his trophies by qualifying for the Champions League season after season. After all, it is not difficult for a team of Arsenals stature (and location) to finish in the top four and it shouldnt be considered a success just because they were able to be above the likes of Liverpool, Spurs and Everton. Wenger wants people to praise the club for regularly reaching the top four but this is a club that should be judged on who it beats not just on who it doesnt beat and he certainly doesnt deserve a trophy for finishing above such a mediocre bunch of teams that have flittered in and out of the top half of the last few Premier League campaigns. The 65-year-old may have done a great job of convincing a lot of the fans, whoo pay the highest ticket prices in the league, that this is enough for a club of Arsenals stature but it is the players who have rightfully demanded more.dddddddddddd Ramseys feeling on the Wembley grass after the FA Cup feeling said it all. Players want to achieve greatness and Wengers players have suffered far too much in big games over recent years. One of the most defining images of the 2011/12 season was Robin Van Persies shell-shocked face leaving Old Trafford after his Arsenal team had been thrashed 8-2. A year later he was a Manchester United player. Wenger had convinced many, including some high profile members of the media, that it was the right thing to do to sell the Dutchman to United for 24 million pounds. The only reason any one could give was it made financial sense. A few months later Van Persie finished the season as a Premier League champion and top scorer in the division. Arsenal continued to evolve by signing players that helped them achieve another Wenger trophy but their record in big games was once again dismal. In the last two seasons they played 12 matches against Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea and didnt win any, losing 7 and drawing 5. Big games, big expectations and big players paying more attention about their own team than they normally would. Arsenals loss to Manchester United on Saturday means they have now played all three of these teams again this season and they are now winless in 15 games against the trio. In total they have lost 10 of the last 15 against Chelsea and 11 of the last 15 against United and that includes a team managed by David Moyes and one full of injuries under Louis Van Gaal. For a big club like Arsenal that is simply not good enough. Players continue to come and go but in big matches the same results keep happening. There is no strategy to play differently in big games. They are predictably na?ve, playing games far too open and exposing a spine that has been weak for far too long. That is why they havent come close to winning the league. What was missing was trophies, defender Bacary Sagna admitted to The Sun recently following a move from Arsenal to Man City this summer. Sagna wasnt the first big name player to leave Arsenal and then be publicly slammed by Wenger and when he defended himself against chasing money he confessed that he had already decided to leave the club at the start of last season. Sagna followed Van Persie who followed Cesc Fabregas who followed Alex Song who followed Samir Nasri. Outstanding Premier League players all gone since the summer of 2011. Losses like the most recent one against Manchester United cause a club like Arsenal incredible damage going forward. They are a team that collectively does not believe in themselves in such matches because their top players look around and think the manager hasnt done enough to give them what they need to succeed. That is why they, like Sagna, ultimately make decisions to move on. It is an indictment on the club that the list of top players is dwindling but for the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Laurent Koscielny, Santi Cazorla the time is approaching sooner than many realize. The loss against United is another chapter stored in their minds. With every big game failure Wenger is damaging this historic clubs reputation amongst top players and it is showing no signs of improving. In the forever growing list of reasons for him to be fired this should be at the very top. ' ' '