With one ill-chosen word, Hope Solo turned a matter of soccer tactics into moral condemnation. With the help of U.S. Soccers opportunistic overreaction, a molehill became a mountain.Megan Rapinoe prefers to use the molehill that sports actually are to try to scale mountains.Competitive. Fierce. Humble. Badass.Those were the words Rapinoe chose while expressing disappointment with Solo in the aftermath of the veteran goalkeepers criticism of the Swedish team that eliminated Solo, Rapinoe and the rest of the U.S. womens national team from the Olympics. Rapinoes words were examples of what American players should be.Notably absent under the circumstances were other words that at one time might have been applied to the most popular team in womens sports: uncontroversial, inoffensive, bland.At the risk of putting words in the mouth of a player who is adept at speaking them herself, or even communicating silently through the act of kneeling during the national anthem, Rapinoe sounded disappointed not with the controversy surrounding Solo but the pointlessness of it.So after Rapinoe knelt Sunday during the anthem prior to a National Womens Soccer League game, she told espnWs Julie Foudy that the gesture of solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was born out of being disgusted with the way he has been treated and her desire for a more substantive conversation about race relations.It is debatable whether her gesture, as a one-time offering or if repeated, can accomplish that goal. We are in the midst of a national conversation, or shouting match, about the national anthem. Rapinoe undoubtedly extended the topic for at least another news cycle. That isnt necessarily the same thing as a conversation about the substance of any complaints.But if we truly hold to the idea that there is social value in younger generations, especially girls, watching Rapinoe pursue an athletic passion once reserved for men, then the same must be true of listening to her engage in what President Barack Obama days ago described as active citizenry.One cannot be true without the other. If all are to have opportunities, then all must have voices.Rapinoe noted this weeks ago when asked before an Olympic send-off game in Kansas City about the WNBA players who wore shirts in support of both Black Lives Matter and five police officers killed in a Dallas shooting; the players were fined by the WNBA as a result.Not everybody has to be an activist, but we have a pretty incredible platform being an athlete in this country, Rapinoe told Excelle Sports at the time. Sports is very valued and sort of glorified in this country, and if you want to have that voice, I absolutely think you should.And she does. She did long before any music started playing Sunday.As a college player at the University of Portland, soccer was all the larger world knew of her, if it knew of her at all. She was an inventive, sublimely skilled player with a star-crossed history of injuries. At some point the world as she knew it intermingled with what the world knew of her.Soccer and social justice intersected. I think even before I came out [in 2012], Rapinoe said when asked about that evolution during the Olympics, I think you can sort of look at a big part of our fan base, and theres a lot of gay fans that we have. And so for me, I kind of always was aware of that. And then since coming out, I think its been even more, and something that I really embrace is that I can talk about it, talk to media about it, and sort of open up the conversation and not have it be such a taboo issue.She referenced an article she read that suggested the number of out gay athletes in the Olympics numbered only in the dozens among the thousands of athletes who competed.I think the more we can have these conversations and break down these walls and barriers and stereotypes, the more other athletes will feel comfortable coming out, hopefully.Her answer came in the context of one facet of her life, sexual orientation, but it is far from the only facet. She is among the national team players (as is Solo) who are pursuing an equal pay complaint against U.S. Soccer. When asked out of the blue one day during last years World Cup about the problems facing Metis youth in Manitoba, Canada, she didnt deflect the question with the standard response of being focused on soccer but instead admitted she knew the issue only a little -- and would like to know more. It is hardly a surprise that she felt moved to act now, too.The irony in all of this is that it seems entirely plausible that Rapinoe offended far more people who might show up to watch her play for the United States in its remaining games this fall than Solo did in calling the Swedish team a bunch of cowards for adopting a defensive game plan.Still, it is controversy with a point.A voice need not be loud to matter. And as with Solo, a loud voice does not always resonate.But controversy is never a reason to stay silent.As with any issue of free speech, plenty of people have turned during the Kaepernick saga to a quote often mistakenly attributed to the French philosopher Voltaire: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.Some present it as a shield, others as an example of a naive nature. Yet one more debate without a resolution.But the image of Rapinoe kneeling before the start of a professional soccer game casts it in a different light. It was, after all, Evelyn Beatrice Hall who wrote those words, a woman who by the norms of the time in the early 20th century had to write under the pseudonym S.G. Tallentyre.It wasnt a womans place to have a voice on matters of consequence.Since thats no longer true, perhaps controversial conversations can bring about change.
Kaleb McGary Jersey . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15.
Russell Gage Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
[url=http://www.cheapfalconsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-jaeden-graham-jersey]http://www.cheapfalconsjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-jaeden-graham-jersey . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net.
Logan Paulsen Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup.
Blidi Wreh-Wilson Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. G2 Esports triumphed over Splyce in the European League of Legends Championship Series (EU LCS) finals, 3-1. With the victory, G2 Esports became the back-to-back EU LCS split champions in rather decisive fashion. The team will represent Europe at the World Championship as the first seed from the region.Splyces lone win was not the teams only highlight during this series. They entered the finals as a massive underdog, but showed plenty of fight during the matchup. And it was through the teamfighting element of the game that Splyce proved to be worth its salt. Kasper Kobbe Kobberup and Martin Wunder Hansen were absolutely essential damage dealers in the first three games of the series. The duo kept the team afloat and nearly forced the late game victory multiple times throughout the set purely through positioning and stellar initiation. But, the team seemingly ran out of steam halfway through game three. If it wasnt Kobbe or Wunder making plays, Splyce didnt have any other option. In game four, despite the near insurmountable deficit, Splyce still forced fights and made it entertaining. The underdogs simply couldnt match the power of G2 Esports, and with only two players showing up, it was a wash after that.G2 Esports did it again. The team rolled over Splyce once it figured out how to stunt the damage and item progression of both Wunder and Kobbe.dddddddddddd Luka PerkZ Perkovic was especially great, with ban-worthy play on Vladimir; whether it was the champions strengths in controlling both the teamfight and the lane, PerkZ individual mechanical skill or both, G2 Esports dominated whenever it drafted the pick. PerkZ was the flash that G2 Esports needed and provided plenty of fireworks for the fans while wrapping up the series. The backbone of the team, Jesper Zven Svenningsen, also made his presence felt. Ever-consistent Zven was solid and unwavering throughout the matchup, whether a game was won or lost. However, the surprising third option in damage came from top laner Dae-han Expect Ki. His play on Gangplank and Gnar was disruptive and forcefully drove the teamfight advantage toward G2 Esports in several key moments throughout the matchup.Overall, G2 Esports played as expected: authoritatively. The team controlled the early game for the majority of the set, managed to control neutral objectives and mostly tempered the snowball potential of the opposition.
Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace