Here’s a name that you should know if you don’t already: Michael Sam.

If you own a TV or have access to the Internet, I imagine that you have already heard about him, but in case you haven’t I’ll give you a quick recap of what’s happened the past couple of days.

Michael Sam, a defensive end from Missouri, is a 2014 NFL draft prospect, and on Sunday February 9^th he came out as gay to the public, in a simultaneous announcement with ESPN, The New York Times, and Outsports.

When he is drafted in May, he will become the first openly gay player in NFL history. To be clear, that is “when” he is drafted, not “if” he is drafted.

The reason for using three different publications was to have ESPN handle the TV aspect, Times handle the print, and Outsports would cover the process of the announcement, (which can be found in a great essay entitled “The Eagle Has Landed,” on Outsports.com)

After, and I mean right after, the announcement, it was instantly the biggest story in sports, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Make no mistake about it—this is a big deal and has larger societal impacts than just the NFL.

Here are some of the questions that were raised: Is the NFL ready for an openly gay player? Will teammates be able to accept Michael Sam? Will his draft stock fall because of his announcement? Why did he announce this one-week before the combine?

Then there was a lot of talk about the “climate” of locker rooms, especially in the NFL. And even more talk about how the media will swarm whichever team drafts Sam, which would cause “distractions” or a “media circus.”

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Michael Sam being openly gay impacts “climate” anymore than I think what brand of sneakers he wears does.

On the surface, that might be an over-simplification of an extremely complex social issue, but when you look at it closer, from a philosophical standpoint, it isn’t.

Don’t get me wrong, whether or not the NFL is ready for an openly gay player is a completely legitimate question. It would be naïve to think that the NFL would be 100 percent ready, but no one will no for certain until it happens.

Sunday was Smith’s announcement to the world, but he had already come out to his teammates at Missouri before the start of last season.

Michael Smith’s college teammates didn’t have a problem with his sexual orientation. This should go without saying, but obviously it didn’t impact his performance on the field, either.

Smith was SEC co-defensive Player-of-the-Year and an All-American.

How did it affect Missouri’s season?

They went 12-2 including a trip to the SEC Championship game, a Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma State, and finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country, which is the highest in program history.

I’d say it was a non-issue for every one involved with the Missouri football program.

The sickening part about all of the coverage, both on TV and online, on this issue is the euphemisms being used. The one that sticks out the most is “old-school,” which is used to describe the mentality of football players and locker rooms.

“Old-school” means the NFL hasn’t changed, or more fairly put: the people using that excuse is a cop-out, projecting his or her own hopes that the NFL will not change.

The reality is the NFL is bigger than most entities on almost every issue.

Think performance-enhancing drug use in the NFL compared to Major League Baseball, which sport is vilified by the public? (Hint: it’s not the NFL).

Who pays more in taxes each April, the NFL, who brings in over $10 billion in revenue, or one McDonalds employee, who makes $7.25 an hour? (Hint: it’s not the NFL).

There is a laundry list of reasons on why the NFL gets favorable treatment, and why people, and society as a whole, are able to look past all of it and enjoy the NFL’s on-the-field product.

This issue, though, is bigger than the NFL. It comes down to human decency and basic individual rights.

When you boil it down and strip away the publicist language, the question, “is the NFL ready for an openly gay player?” really means, “does the NFL believe in treating all human being equally?”

If the NFL isn’t ready for Michael Sam, or any other openly gay player or member of the LGBT community, then they have a major problem on their hands, and it’s one that society cannot and will not overlook.