From a marketing standpoint, does this help or hinder athletes in terms of their marketability and sponsorship?

The British swimmer Tom Daley recently used YouTube to reach his fans and announced he was in a same sex relationship. He stated he hoped this would not change the support his fans gave him. There has been a recent trend of athletes making similar announcements and using social media channels. Jason Collins (NBA), Michael Sam (NFL), Martina Navratilova (Tennis) are other notable examples. From a marketing standpoint, does this help or hinder athletes in terms of their marketability and sponsorship?