Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.
Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted by the NFL, made huge headlines over the weekend for his selection by the St. Louis Rams. But also for the kiss he shared with his boyfriend on camera.
There's another interesting milestone Sam can claim as well. Although he was almost at the end of the draft, his jersey outsold almost all of the other players jerseys. The only player that outsold him was Johnny Manziel, who was chosen in the first round by the Cleveland Browns.
Add to that an endorsement deal already inked with Visa, and many believe that Sam could be an extremely marketable option for companies. So how could this affect his deal with the team? Could his prominence transition to dollars?
We'll talk to Andrew Zimbalist, the Robert A. Woods Professor of Economics at Smith College.