Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and Alex Rodriguez are some of the typical names one hears in a young sports fan’s response to the question, ‘Who is your favorite player?.’ When I have kids, I hope I am fortunate enough to raise a son that, when asked this question, responds proudly, ‘Michael Sam.’

Opening up to anybody about one’s sexual identity is difficult enough. Throw in a national newspaper headline, video cameras, and the future of all athletes currently masking their own true sexual preferences, and the confession becomes significantly more daunting.

Sam courageously authored a new chapter in sports history on February 9 when he publicly announced in an interview with the New York Times that he is an “openly proud gay man,” the first ever that could possibly be drafted into the NFL.

Displaying a sturdiness and confidence reflective of the momentous statement itself, Sam decided to come out to the public to ensure that he would be able to tell his own story, and “own his truth.” He, while understanding of the impact his decision to come out would have on sports in the future, has the same simple intention as any potential draftee for the National Football League: to be a successful athlete.

And if he continues at the same rate at which he’s been going for his four years as a defensive end at the University of Missouri, it seems as though his success is inevitable.

Twenty-four-year-old Michael Sam, standing tall at 6’2” and 255 lbs, currently holds records as a Tiger recording 17.0 career tackles for loss of yards and 21.0 career sacks, the most of any defensive player at Missouri. Sam has 2 career interceptions which he returned for a total of 62 yards combined, and has displayed a true knack for being around the ball, forcing 4 fumbles and recovering one. Sam was named Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC in his 2013 season by the Associated Press, and in the same year led Mizzou to a 12-2 record and victory in the Cotton Bowl. With 38 games of experience at the collegiate level in one of the most competitive divisions in college football along with a respectable collection of accolades, it is safe to say that Sam knows how to play football; this is an undeniable truth regardless of what his sexual preference might be.

Not to mention the kid was a 2^nd-Team All-American as a freshman.

But what is truly admirable about Michael Sam, along with his courage in admitting his homosexuality in a predominantly testosterone-filled, uber-macho sport, was his courage to overcome one of the most difficult and tragic childhoods I have ever been made aware of.

I want my son to admire Michael Sam not because of his strength in putting up twice his bodyweight in the weight room, or in being able to bring to the ground a 300-lb offensive lineman. I want him to admire Sam because of his strength to overcome the death of three of his siblings, two of his brothers being in jail, and the influence of a dark and destructive path so luring that he “could have been in jail, or dead,” said Sam. “I made a choice at a young age that I didn’t want to follow that path. I knew that I wanted to have success so my family could be proud of me.”

That is true courage. That is strength that cannot be reflected in weight room numbers or statistics, or in sacks or in tackles. Michael Sam is the type of person that commands reverence from all athletes, but more importantly, all people. Everywhere. Whether or not his sexuality will influence his performance as an athlete is irrelevant. What the imperative is in this situation is to understand that the homosexual barrier in sports has been shattered by a man whose name should and will be remembered for being an excellent athlete and a commendable human being. I believe he himself put it best: “I’m Michael Sam, and I’m a football player.”