em him the best pick. So, I think they need

TORONTO - Canadian assistant referee Joe Fletcher will work the France versus Nigeria round-of-16 knockout game at the World Cup in Brasilia on Monday. The 37-year-old chartered accountant from St. Catharines, Ont., works with American referee Mark Geiger and fellow assistant Sean Hurd. Its the third match at the tournament for the trio after Colombia-Greece and Spain-Chile. Officials deemed to perform well get more work at the World Cup as the competition unfolds. Their performance has won good reviews so far, including complimentary tweets from MLS players Dax McCarty and Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit. Geiger, a 39-year-old former math teacher, becomes the first American to referee a knockout stage match at the World Cup. The Canadian-American trio has already officiated at the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, the 2012 Olympics and the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup, among other tournaments. Jim Kelly Jersey . Forsman closed with a 3-under 69 in windy conditions Sunday for his third Champions Tour title. He beat Jay Don Blake by two shots. Thurman Thomas Jersey . -- Canadian ski cross star Marielle Thompson accomplished two goals in one race Saturday. http://www.shoptheofficialbills.com/. According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . The Rainbow FlickNext up is the Rainbow Flick, or as you probably know it, the trick that everybody at soccer camp thought they knew how to do. Doug Flutie Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr.Any NFL team that drafts Michael Sam will be taking on much more than a rookie pass-rusher. But experts say the smart approach for a team that signs the leagues first openly gay athlete -- from a marketing and public relations standpoint -- is to simply let Sams on-field play speak for him and his team. "While this is a significant announcement given the sport, the general hope is that hes just accepted as one of the other men on the roster, and therefore his marketability is still simply tied to his ability to play well on the field and ultimately make the team," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon. Sam declared Sunday that he is gay in interviews with ESPN, The New York Times and Outsports. The Missouri All-American had already come out last August to his coaches and teammates, who respected his privacy. Now Sam is entering uncharted territory as he prepares for the NFL draft. The SECs co-defensive player of the year was projected to be a mid-round selection. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Sam will likely have to transition to outside linebacker, which could impact where hes drafted. But announcing hes gay could also have an impact on his draft status. "Im not naive to think there arent potentially some owners or executives out there who will say, Eh, Im not so sure now." said Golden State Warriors President and Chief of Operations Rick Welts, who came out publicly in 2011. "But also, I hope, there are a lot who would say, Theres an opportunity to do something that I think our fans would actually embrace. And if were supposed to win football games, if this guy helps us win football games, thats somebody we should have on our roster." Sam, 24, joins a growing list of active athletes to publicly come out, including Robbie Rogers, a winger for Major League Soccers Los Angeles Galaxy, and Brittney Griner, who plays for the WNBAs Phoenix Mercury. Conner Mertens, a kicker for Division III Willamette University, came out as bisexual late last month, and is believed to have been the first active college football player to publicly announce his sexuality. Griner, as one of the WNBAs brightest stars, was the centerpiece of the Mercurys marketing campaign. She also made a point of supporting causes that are important to her. "There was nothing about heer that was difficult in marketing.dddddddddddd We supported what she wanted to do with bullying and the LGBT community. We made those connecting points," said Amber Cox, president of the Mercury before leaving to go to the Big East last fall. Nike has also thrown support to LGBT athletes, signing both Griner and Jason Collins, a former NBA player who came out last year, to sponsorship deals, and launching its "Be True" campaign. Profits from the .BeTrue collection are being donated to the LGBT Sports Coalition to support the goal of ending discrimination in sport. Mark Elderkin of the Gay Ad Network, an online media platform for national advertisers, said NFL teams need only look at Sams track record. "Theyre going to make their choices based on who the best college athletes are. And theyre going to choose Michael if they deem him the best pick. So, I think they need to focus on the facts, and his performance over the years, his All-America status and everything hes done for Missouri," Elderkin said. "Also his relationships with the fans, and with the positive energy he has around his teammates and their full support, shows that hes not going to be disruptive to the team in any way, but is going to add value." But its still a reality that gay athletes face a backlash. Derogatory comments were easily found among the positive posts on social media and other online commentary following Sams announcement. A Pew Research survey last year of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults in the U.S. found that just 4 per cent saw pro sports leagues as friendly toward LGBT people, while 59 per cent saw the leagues as unfriendly and 36 per cent saw them as neutral. Still, even over the past year there have been significant overall victories in gay and lesbian rights, most notably two U.S. Supreme Court decisions in June. One ruling cleared the way for ending a ban on same-sex marriages in California; the other struck down a 1996 law passed by Congress that banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages. It remains to be seen how growing tolerance extends to the NFL playing field. "I think the point thats being made in a lot of the discussion is, Lets just move on," Swangard said. "If the guy makes a team, then he makes the team. His sexual orientation shouldnt be the story." Wholesale Orioles Jerseys Red Sox Jerseys China Cheap Stitched Yankees Jerseys Cheap Stitched Rays Jerseys Wholesale Blue Jays Jerseys Cheap White Sox Jerseys Cheap Indians Jerseys Wholesale Tigers Jerseys Royals Jerseys China Cheap Stitched Twins Jerseys Cheap Stitched Astros Jerseys Wholesale Angels Jerseys Athletics Jerseys China Wholesale Mariners Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Rangers Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Braves Jerseys Cheap Marlins Jerseys Wholesale Mets Jerseys Cheap Stitched Phillies Jerseys Wholesale Nationals Jerseys Cheap Cubs Jerseys Online Wholesale Reds Jerseys Cheap Brewers Jerseys Online Cheap Pirates Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Authentic Cheap Rockies Jerseys Authentic Cheap Dodgers Jerseys Authentic Cheap Padres Jerseys Online Wholesale Giants Jerseys ' ' '