Thomas Godoj Thread » -1 since that loss.Were feeling good, but at the s

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.Cheap Mets Jerseys Authentic . -- If Henry Burris has his way, he will be the starting quarterback to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats back to the Grey Cup next year. Cheap Mookie Wilson Jersey .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. http://www.cheapmetsjerseys.com/ . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. Cheap Dwight Gooden Jersey . They were putting most of their energy into a record-setting offensive display. Cheap Mets Jerseys China .Y. -- Paul Byron and Matt Stajan scored as the Calgary Flames started a five-game road trip with a 2-1 overtime win over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday afternoon.The Dallas Cowboys are the talk of the NFL right now, racing out to the leagues best record and a club-record winning streak behind pair of dynamic offensive rookies.The Cowboys (9-1) havent lost since the season opener way back on Sept. 11. Its a start that has everyones attention, given the prominence of the franchise and the circumstances surrounding its unexpected dominance.And while Dallas is enjoying its lofty perch atop the league standings, the Cowboys are quite aware of what awaits Thanksgiving against longtime rival Washington at AT&T Stadium.The defending NFC East champion Redskins (6-3-1) are off to one of their best starts in years and are looking for revenge after losing to Dallas earlier this season.Im excited about it, Cowboys first-year quarterback Dak Prescott said. I have never done this before, to respond real quick and play another game. But I love ball, and I love these games. Im excited for it and Im looking forward to it.Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott have electrified the Cowboys attack. Prescott has accounted for 21 touchdowns -- 17 passing and four rushing -- and Elliott leads the league in rushing with 1,102 yards.Dallas has piled up at least 400 yards of total offense in eight consecutive games, tying New England (2007) and Denver (2013) for the longest single-season streaks in NFL history.Prescott threw for 301 yards and three touchdowns, two going to Dez Bryant, in Sundays 27-17 win over Baltimore. Elliott ran for 97 yards.The only 10-1 start in Cowboys history came in 2007. Finishing off a season sweep of the Redskins would match that mark.Were taking it one game at a time and focusing on whats happening at that moment, said Bryant, who has five touchdown catches. Were not looking too far ahead.Washington is no slouch offensively behind Kirk Cousins. The Redskins walloped Green Bay 42-24 on Sunday, scoring the second-most points since Jay Gruden became head coach in 2014.With 515 total yards against the Packers, Washington has hit at least 500 yardds twice this season.dddddddddddd That ties the most in a single campaign, dating back to 1950.The Redskins finished with two 100-yard receivers (Pierre Garcon and Jamison Crowder) and a 100-yard rusher (Robert Kelley) in a single game for the first time since Sept. 12, 1999 against Dallas.DeSean Jackson stopped short of calling Sunday a breakout performance for the offense.Id like to say that, but its one game, he said. You cant put all the eggs in one basket for one game. We have to continue to come out here and put the work in every week. This is going to be a quick week for us, we play another on Thanksgiving.That game means a lot for us. We see everybody winning in our division and we still have a lot of work to put in to get to where we need to get to. We know whats at stake and we know what we want to accomplish at the same time.Washington is off to its best start since opening 7-3 in 1996. The Redskins have rebounded from being 0-2, which included a 27-23 home loss to Dallas on Sept. 18.Former Washington running back Alfred Morris had the game-winning touchdown for the Cowboys in the fourth quarter.The Redskins are 6-1-1 since that loss.Were feeling good, but at the same time its a short week and were playing one of the best teams in the NFL on Thursday, said Cousins, who has seven touchdowns passes in his last three games. Once again, I feel like I say it every week, but welcome to the NFL.It doesnt get any easier from here in our division. A lot of people wanted to take shots at it last year and said, You know, its not a very good division. I think this year proves that in the NFL everybody is good.The Cowboys have faced the Redskins a franchise-high seven times on Thanks?giving and hold a 6-1 record. Washington has won its last to visits to AT&T Stadium.Dallas, 29-18-1 all-time on the holiday, is aiming to snap a two-game losing streak on Turkey Day. ' ' '