Visa Inks Endorsement Deal With Michael Sam, Launches First Ad During NFL Draft

Visa tonight announced it has signed an endorsement deal with Michael Sam. The first ad in the campaign has launched on YouTube as the first round of the NFL draft is underway in New York City.

In his first spot, Sam, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year out of Missouri, is shown working out while a voiceover urges the viewer to judge him for his play on the field, not off of it. "We felt that Michael's story was a perfect fit for our 'everywhere' campaign, which is meant to inspire people to reach their own personal goals and aspirations," Visa's chief marketing officer Kevin Burke told ESPN.com. "We wish Michael the best on and off the field as he embarks on the next chapter of his life." Added Cameron Weiss, Sam's agent and attorney: "We've been really selective in trying to find the right partners and we couldn't be more pleased to start with a world-class company like Visa."

Some sports analysts have predicted that Sam won't be selected until the third round of the draft on Saturday. ESPN notes that Sam has received dozens of endorsement offers, an "unprecedented number for an expected late-round pick."

Openly Gay MEP Cuts Up Visa Card In Protest Against Sochi Olympics

Pink News reports:

Labour MEP for the West Midlands, Michael Cashman stunned the European Parliament today by publicly cutting up his Visa card in protest at the company’s sponsorship of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Mr Cashman, who was a co-founder of Stonewall and a star of British soap opera EastEnders, has previously said that “hate speech” from Russian President Putin and others has resulted in the “barbaric killing of gay men”.

Coalition Of Human Rights Groups: Sochi's Top Corporate Sponsors Must Speak Out

A coalition of 40 human rights groups have issued a joint letter to the top ten corporate sponsors of the Sochi Olympics which demands that they denounce Russia's abuses against LGBT people. Via press release:

Corporate sponsors of the Sochi Winter Olympics should act now to urge Russia to halt the rising tide of discrimination, harassment and threats against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, 40 of the world’s leading human rights and LGBT groups said today, in an unusual joint open letter. The letter to all of the leading sponsors of the Sochi Olympics asks them to use their leverage as underwriters of the 2014 Winter Games in a variety of concrete ways.

The groups urged sponsors to speak out against Russia’s anti-gay “propaganda” law, which violates the Olympic Charter’s principle of non-discrimination, and to ask the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to undertake systemic reforms to monitor and prevent human rights abuses in future host countries. “Time is running out for the sponsors to take a clear stand in defense of Olympic values,” said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch. “These companies are sponsoring an Oympics marred by ugly discrimination and serious rights abuses. They should speak out forcefully for equality and human rights.”

The joint letter is addressed to the 10 TOP Sponsors of the Sochi Games (members of “The Olympic Partner” (TOP) Program)--Atos, Coca Cola, Dow Chemical, General Electric, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter & Gamble, Samsung, and Visa. The Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch and several other groups have engaged with the sponsors for nearly a year to urge them to act on abuses.

Among the groups in the coalition: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, GLAAD, Family Equality Council, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Including in the requests for action, the letter asks that Sochi's top corporate sponsors address LGBT rights in their Olympic advertising.

Web Graphic Of The Day

Via Memographs.