Outsports: How They Helped Break The Story Of Michael Sam Coming Out As Gay

The sports world, especially the NFL-centric sports world, is buzzing about the story of Michael Sam. For those who missed it, Sam just came out as gay after a very successful run as a Missouri defensive end. Sam is a draft prospect for the NFL in 2014, likely meaning that the NFL will have its first openly gay player ever. A huge barrier is about to be broken.

The behind-the-scenes story of the Michael Sam announcement is chronicled here, by the always excellent Outsports. They are SB Nation's blog about the intersection of LGBT and sport. They helped break the news along with ESPN and The New York Times. The agents and publicists behind the story wanted Outsports involved, they knew they were the best when it came to this topic and that they could help craft the strategy of the announcement, and that's what happened. From Outsports:

[Publicist Howard] Bragman also wanted to include Outsports in the plan. He knew we would be talking "20 times a day" as this unfolded, and he wanted to give Outsports the "behind the scenes" story, the insight into how the story came about. No one else in the media would have been in the middle of strategy conversations, and it was a story Bragman felt needed to be told.

"Outsports has been light years ahead of any other publication on this topic," he said. "And I think Outsports has earned it."

That's high praise for Outsports, and praise that is well-deserved. They are the go-to authority when it comes to this type of story, having helped other athletes come out publicly and tell their story.

So you might have read about Michael Sam coming out, and you've read about how this may or may not affect his draft status. There's been plenty of coverage of what this will mean for the NFL in general. But what you really need to do is read the behind-the-scenes account and learn how something like this actually comes about; it's fascintating.

Congrats Outsports! SB Nation couldn't be prouder of you.