traded from the Columbus Crew in May.New England took a 2-1 le

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. Wholesale Cheap Jerseys .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. Wholesale Cheap Jerseys . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. http://www.wholesalejerseysnflchinacheap.com/ . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Cheap NBA Jerseys From China . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Authentic China Jerseys Cheap .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. FRISCO, Texas -- Walker Zimmerman scored in the first half and FC Dallas beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on Saturday night to remain atop the overall MLS standings.FC Dallas (16-8-8) snapped a three-game winless run and leads the Supporters Shield race by five points. Los Angeles (11-6-15) has lost two straight after a six-game undefeated run, but clinched a playoff spot due to other results in the Western Conference.Zimmerman was left uncovered on Mauro Diazs corner kick and he headed it home in the 39th minute. Zimmerman just missed a glancing header in the 25th minute and Max Urruti curled a shot off the post in the 36th.Los Angeles had a three-on-two opportunity on a counter attack in the 18th minute but Steven Gerrards shot rolled just outside the far post. Landon Donovan came on as a substitute in the 57th minute for the Galaxy, which hosts FC Dallas on Oct. 23.RAPIDS 1, TIMBERS 0COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Sebastien Le Toux scored in the 63rd minute and Colorado beat Portland to wrap up a playoff spot.Marlon Hairston slipped past a defender into the right side of the area and sent a low cross to the middle that Dominique Badji redirected and Le Toux smashed home.The Rapids (12-5-2) clinched their first playoff berth since 2013 and tied a franchise record with 51 points. With four games to go, Colorado has the best chance or the remaining contenders to surpass league-leading FC Dallas for the Supporters Shield.The Timbers (11-13-8) remained tied for sixth place with the Seattle Sounders. Portland finishes its season with a rematch against Colorado at home on Oct. 16 and a trip to Vancouver on Oct. 23.RED BULLS 3, UNION 2HARRISON, N.J. -- Dax McCarty capped the scoring in the 66th minute and had assists on New Yorks first two goals against Philadelphia.The Red Bulls (14-9-9) tied New York City FC for first place in the Eastern Conference standings, each with two games remaining.McCartys long pass over the top in the 47th minute freed Bradley Wright-Phillips for his 21st goal of the season. It gave the Red Bulls a 2-1 lead and pulled Wright-Phillips even with David Villa in the MLS Golden Boot standings.Chris Pontius headed home Fabinhos diagonal cross in the 55th minute to tie it 2-all for the Union (11-12-9).Sacha Kljestan one-timed FFelipes cross to tie it in the 44th minute and Fabian Herbers opened the scoring for the Union in the 15th.ddddddddddddPhiladelphia has two games left to play but dropped to fifth place in the East and missed an opportunity to clinch a playoff berth this week. The Unions Joshua Yaro left the game on a stretcher after an aerial collision in the first half.REVOLUTION 3, SPORTING KC 1FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Kei Kamara and Juan Agudelo each had a goal and an assist in the rain to help New England beat Sporting Kansas City.New England (10-14-9) remained in seventh place in the Eastern Conference -- two points back of sixth-place Montreal for the final playoff spot. Sporting KC (12-13-7) had its three-game undefeated streak snapped.Kamara opened the scoring in the fourth minute. Agudelo drew three defenders near the left sideline and he found Kamara wide open in the middle for a breakaway goal. It was Kamaras 11th goal this season, but just his second at Gillette Stadium since being traded from the Columbus Crew in May.New England took a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute on Kevin Ellis own goal and Agudelo knocked home Kamaras cross 8 minutes later. Dominic Dwyer tied it at 1 in the 49th minute for Kansas City when knocked in Ellis glancing header with his knees.D.C. UNITED 2, TORONTO FC 1TORONTO -- Lamar Neagle scored twice and D.C. United beat Toronto, dropping the Canadian club to third in the Eastern Conference playoff race.D.C. United (10-9-13) extended its unbeaten streak to five at 4-0-1.Jozy Altidore scored for Toronto (13-9-10), which dropped two points behind the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC. The loss was the second in 14 games for Toronto (7-2-5) -- a run that started with a 4-1 victory over D.C. United at BMO Field on July 23.CREW 3, FIRE 0COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Harrison Afful scored in the eighth minute, Justin Meram and Dilly Duka added goals in the second half and Columbus beat Chicago.The Crew (8-12-11) avoided playoff elimination but still need a strong showing their last three games, which include away games against both of the first-place New York squads.The Fire (6-16-9) lost their third in a row. ' ' '