Michael Sam just became the first openly gay player drafted into a major professional sports league, but he received the most attention for doing something most people do, kissing his partner in a moment of celebration. ESPN’s video of his male-male kiss went viral, but what will be Sam’s overall impact?

We think breaking the barrier to gays entering football will not only alter the way we think about sexual orientation but also transform our understanding of gender roles. Although some National Football League players and administrators welcomed Sam’s announcement that he is gay, other NFL personnel insisted that a gay man would not fit in because football is “still a man’s-man game.”