On Sunday, February 23, Jason Collins put on a basketball jersey, and the world didn’t end. In a matter of weeks, Michael Sam will be drafted into the most popular sports league in American history, and next season will still go on. What these players are doing is both monumental and inconsequential at the same time. These players aren’t coming out, they’re inviting us all in.

America was built and still thrives on a very basic premise; an enduring promise that has stood the test of time during our collective history. A promise that states everyone can pursue their individual happiness without fear of retribution or a sudden knock at the door. We are free to live as we like and worship as we please. Yet we do so with an abiding faith in the idea that reminds us that while we should celebrate our individuality but never let go of that North Star ideal that says we are connected as one nation and one people. Regardless of who we are, where we live, or who we love, we all pledge allegiance to the same stars and stripes, for we are no longer a straight-America or a gay-America; a conservative-America or a liberal-America; we are and always will be the United States of America.

The painful battle to remind us of this basic principle has led generation after generation to link arms and fight. It led to women raising their voices to earn a spot at the voting ballot. It led African-Americans to march on Washington to hear a King tell us his dream.

Today, it is in the halls of Washington and state houses where the battle for same-sex rights are being fought. There are now seventeen states, including the District of Columbia, where same-sex marriage is legal, and more states are sure to follow.

Surely, the topic is still very controversial and often sparks fierce debate among people, but the issue is a conversation that needs to happen. Homosexuality is a defining issue of our time and we must protect the solemn responsibility of engaging in civil debate, even when the issues get tough.

One place, where the conversation hasn’t happened yet, however, is on the playing fields of our major sports. This is surprise, as sports have often provided an avenue in which social advancement can take place.

Jesse Owens crashed Hitler’s Olympics in 1936 and proved that one’s athletic ability is not defined by the color one’s skin. Jackie Robinson tore down the walls that kept African-Americans away from America’s pastime and paved a way for men all backgrounds to play the sport they love. Ernie Davis gave young men of color hope that they too can achieve football glory, as Davis won the Heisman in 1961 – the first ever given to an African-American player.

These events happened before the marches from Selma to Montgomery or the march on Washington and the many protests that marked the Civil Rights movement, proving to the nation that if we could play in harmony, perhaps we can live in peace.

Today is a different story. In 2013, we were introduced to the NBA’s first openly gay player. Earlier this year, we met who will become the NFL’s first openly gay athlete, yet the sports world is still behind.

Since the announcements of Jason Collins and Michael Sam, past players and coaches alike have said that there have always been gay athletes across the sports world. While this may be true, what is inherently wrong is the fact that these players felt the need to conceal their sexuality and essentially lie about whom they were. The sports world took a “don’t ask don’t tell” policy that now leaves it behind the larger American social movement.

Sports must show that it can and it will be an active force in moving along social advancement. Many battles can be won on the playing field, and the many leagues in the nation aren’t taking the incredible opportunity to do so.

In a number of years, however, gay athletes will not be anything special. Even today, NFL scouts are judging Michael Sam on his playing ability, not on his sexual orientation. The New Jersey Nets signed Jason Collins not because he was gay, but because the Nets had an open spot on an injury riddled roster.

These two men are simply trying to live their lives in a way that brings them happiness, for that is what is promised to us all; the notion that if we work hard and we look out for one another, we can make here in America. This incredible opportunity should not be withheld from men like Michael and Jason. Their dreams should not be deferred simply because they are gay.

The realm of sports is behind, but the invitation is still there. Sports can once again remind us how powerful they can be. A simple game can transcend into a larger movement and pave a way into the future. Sports can prove that if gay athletes can play on the biggest levels of competition, then maybe, just maybe, they can live in peace all across our nation.