Michael Sam on sidelines at Missouri-Alabama SEC title game

When you are the first openly gay player drafted in the NFL, you get TV time, and Michael Sam did during the Missouri-Alabama football game.

CBS' announcers mentioned how Sam was a star of last year's Mizzou team and that the Tigers could use him today. The gay angle was not mentioned, which is fine, but it shows the depth of his celebrity that he was instantly recognizable.

Sam tweeted this shot before the game with Missouri tight end Sean Culkin:

#MizzouMade @MichaelSamNFL in the dome! #Miz pic.twitter.com/1gl6pgasRc

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 6, 2014