a missed it. "It was a break for us," Pedroia said. "I just said I

In November, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on giving.The September leaves had just begun to transition from chlorophyll-filled green to translucent yellow. I was sitting in my Brooklyn apartment in 2014 chatting with my dad, a die-hard Ravens fan.The conversation took an awkward turn to the topic of running back Ray Rice, who had been caught on video dragging his unconscious then-fiancé Janay Palmer out of a Las Vegas hotel elevator.The NFL had done a poor job of handling the domestic abuse from the jump, but once the video was made public for the world to see, the league decided to part ways with Rice.This felt wrong to my father.It was the first time Id yelled at him for what I considered victim blaming. He did not condone the act, but the language he used certainly would make any feminists head spin.In that moment I thought: If seemingly kind and good and smart men like my father didnt understand domestic abuse or misogyny, we were at a loss of ever reaching the men who arent good.Almost two years after the Rice incident, former NFL star Darren Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison for raping half a dozen women. No bold statements from the NFL. No condemnation from his colleagues. It was just quiet.He was even nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only to receive not a single vote from the selection committee.Still.I was done with the NFL.NFL players wives and girlfriends were suffering at the hands of its men. Physical and sexual assault was handled abysmally by the league, with no sign of an organization that was moving toward actually caring about women.Then along came Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy.Levy stands at 6-foot-1. His smooth, latte-colored face is adorned by a thick beard that looks like it holds the keys to black boy magic. By all measures, he is a unicorn in an industry that has a lot of reckoning to do with how it supports and rewards violent men.Only 29 years young, he is wise. He has done the work to unlearn misogyny and become aware of its perils. This is a man who uses the term hyper-masculinity in interviews. For a football player, this makes you wonder if the Mayans prediction of the world ending is lurking around the corner.Levy has charged his fellow athletes with the task of speaking up on the dehumanization of women. His Man Up piece for The Players Tribune in April makes it clear what consent is and what its not. He thinks the NFL should do more about domestic violence awareness.In one of his most remarkable acts of human decency, Levy is donating money to have 11,000 rape kits that were found in a warehouse, abandoned by prosecutors, tested.His stance is clear: Dismissing a description of sexual assault as locker-room talk is a mistake.Wherever the NFL found this man, the league is lucky to have him.Im not in the business of handing out fresh-baked cookies to men for being decent human beings. But acknowledgement is due. Few professional athletes have this level of understanding about misogyny, so this feels magical. It feels like a win for all the work we black feminists have been doing.To preserve my sanity, Ive given up the idea of educating men who dont get it. More than changing minds, as wed hope educating men would do, it brings harassment.Ive been called everything from a Negro bed wench to a b---- for calling men out on their sexism. Discussing rape culture, consent and violence against women has been mostly futile.Remember, I yelled at my own dad over sexism. Levy restored a tiny piece of optimism in me about men -- athletes too -- being able to unlearn the toxicity of patriarchy. His commitment to issues that are typically cast to the side for women to fix alone is a reminder that the work we do is not in vain.Ill remind myself of Levys awakening when I grow weary and think, Whats the point? Because slow change is still change.Being a black feminist deeply committed to the black community and womens rights has been discouraging. Enraging. Even hopeless. Like I said, sometimes I think men will never get it.Levy is proof that they can, though. And while my willingness to teach men is reserved only for the men I care about, I now have a little more faith that they will in turn teach other men. Levy gave me hope that all who wander are not lost. And being lost doesnt mean one has to stay there.Bené Viera is a Brooklyn-based journalist who writes about culture, race and gender. Her work has appeared in GQ, Vulture, ESSENCE, Cosmopolitan, VIBE, Glamour and ELLE. When shes not writing shes stanning for Nas. Follow her on Twitter at @beneviera. Curtis Samuel Youth Jersey . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. Donte Jackson Womens Jersey . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/authentic-luke-kuechly-panthers-jersey/ . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. Sam Mills Jersey . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. Ryan Kalil Youth Jersey . Brad Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., team took control of the game early. Over the past three or four years, the NHL has become a young mans game. That said, something is distinctly different about the early stages of this season that suggests we might have opened a door to a new frontier, where Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and others are not only commanding attention, but are forever changing the NHL landscape.Every week well look at young players who are on a roll and others who need to step it up. Behold, the under-24 player rankings.?HotConnor McDavid, C, Edmonton OilersAs of Friday, three of the leagues top six point producers were 20 years of age or younger (McDavid, Matthews and William Nylander), but its hard to ignore the way McDavid has come out of the gate for the red-hot Oilers. After being named captain before the season, McDavid hasnt missed a beat and has 11 points in seven games while averaging 21:09 in ice time. What impresses me is that McDavid has eight even-strength points as the 6-1-0 Oilers have beaten some of the leagues elite teams while moving to first place in the Pacific Division and top spot in the Western Conference. Its been a long time since thats happened for the Oilers.Patrik Laine, RW, Winnipeg JetsIts been an up-and-down start for the Jets, who have yet to win back-to-back games this season. But if theyre going to get back in the playoffs, its clear Laine, the No. 2 pick in June, is going to lead them. The big 18-year-old Finn with the big shot has six goals, tied for the league lead and most among rookies, along with two assists for eight points in seven games. His 19:12 in average ice time is the most among rookie forwards.Travis Konecny, C, Philadelphia FlyersThe 19-year-old London, Ontario, native has been a revelation to the youthful Flyers, with seven points in eight games, fourth among all rookies. The slight (hes listed as 5-foot-10, 175 pounds) center has points in six of eight games, and head coach Dave Hakstol continues to show confidence in the 24th-overall pick from 2015, moving him up the lineup and expanding his ice time.NotJohn Gibson, G, Anaheim DucksSometimes its easy to think of Gibson as a grizzled veteran in spite of the fact the 39th-overall pick in 2011 is just 23. But after hiccups to start his career, the highly touted goalie is now in a position where he has to step up for the Ducks. With backup Jonathan Bernier?out with an injury, Gibson has to prove hes got the goods and consistency to lead a talented team like the Ducks.dddddddddddd Gibson started slowly but has gone 3-0-1 in his past four appearances. Hes got to keep performing to keep the doubters at bay.Mathew Barzal, C,?New York IslandersAfter an impressive training camp that saw the 16th-overall pick in 2015 stick with the big club, Barzal, 19, has managed to get into just two of the Islanders first six games and is back to being a healthy scratch after a game against the?Montreal Canadiens?in which a Barzal turnover led to a goal. There were also other defensive issues. The Islanders are off to a 3-5 start and coach Jack Capuano told reporters he cant keep experimenting with his forward lines and needs to find continuity, although he wouldnt cite Barzals miscues as the reason for his return to the press box.Aaron Ekblad, D, Florida PanthersOne might have expected the Panthers to struggle, especially offensively, without top six forwards Nick Bjugstad and Jonathan Huberdeau, who are lost long-term to injury. And they have, losing two in a row, giving the defending Atlantic Division champions a 3-3-1 record. In the absence of those players, the Panthers will be looking for their leaders to fill the void. And although former rookie of the year Ekblad leads the team in average ice time at 24:12, playing mostly against opposing teams top offensive units, he has struggled on the offensive side of the puck. Ekblad, 20, has one goal and zero assists, his lone score coming on the power play. The Panther power play, by the way, is 22nd in the league.Young Guns ShowdownTroy Stecher, D,?Vancouver Canucks vs. Connor McDavid, C,?Edmonton Oilers, Friday, 10 p.m. ETMuch is expected from defenseman Stecher, 22, after an outstanding training camp, and hell get a chance to earn his keep in a prominent role as he gets just his second NHL start Friday, likely playing against the NHLs leading scorer. Coach Willie Desjardins told reporters in Vancouver that Stecher, who signed as a free agent with the hometown Canucks after three years at the University of North Dakota, will likely be paired with veteran Alexander Edler?against the Oilers top offensive unit, led by McDavid. A solid showing Friday would put Stecher in line for a repeat performance Saturday against?Alex Ovechkin?and the Washington Capitals. ' ' '