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The Seattle Mariners have suspended backup catcher Steve Clevenger without pay for the rest of the season a day after he sent racist tweets criticizing protesters in Charlotte, North Carolina; the Black Lives Matter movement; and President Barack Obama.In the tweets, which have since been deleted, Clevenger mocked the groups in Charlotte protesting the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott, whom he called a thug, while referencing Colin Kaepernicks weekly demonstration to kneel during the national anthem to raise awareness of police brutality. He also called Black Lives Matter and Obama pathetic and said everyone involved should be locked behind bars like animals. (Clevenger has since released an apology.)So, can we stop calling Kaepernicks protests meaningless now??What Clevenger didnt realize is the extent to which he was proving Kaepernicks point -- and, perhaps more importantly, the extent to which he was proving Kaepernicks detractors wrong. Here you have a white player aggressively criticizing on-the-ground protesting by implying its too loud, while in the same breath criticizing a silent protest by a fellow athlete.In the weeks of debate over national anthem protests, much has been said about the seemingly no-win situation in which Kaepernick and others find themselves. When protests hit the streets, those inconvenienced by them admonish demonstrators for not undertaking more peaceful means. When peaceful protests occur on the field, players are told their gestures are distracting and ineffective.At the very least, we can debunk the ineffective part. Here we are, weeks later, still talking about the protests, which have grown across players, teams and leagues. The protests have spread from Kaepernick to Megan Rapinoe to entire NFL and WNBA teams. Theyve inspired Adam Jones to spark a conversation about race in baseball and the importance of white allies. Theyve led to quick, actionable consequences for a player tweeting incendiary things.Sure, Seattle is among the most liberal cities in the country, and Clevenger is a journeyman backup catcher who has barely managed a full seasons worth of total games in his six years in the majors. Hes not exactly Dan Wilson, and the Mariners didnt exactly have to sweat over this decision.Clevenger was quick to place Scott into the thug category, while criticizing protesters for being too violent in the wake of a shooting of one civilian by another during the demonstrations.But in the wake of the killings of Scott in Charlotte and Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kaepernicks detractors have remained largely silent, save for the few like Clevenger doubling down on the narrative that black people getting gunned down in the streets must somehow deserve it -- and those choosing to speak up about it belong behind bars. That no matter their means, dissenting black voices will always be shouted down.Another somewhat troubling narrative has emerged in the hours since Clevengers suspension: that theres an inherent hypocrisy in supporting the free speech behind on-field protests of the national anthem while condemning a player for tweeting, even if people on both sides disagree with both messages. Thats a rational conversation we can have, but this instance isnt the place.People such as Justin Verlander and Kate Upton have the right to tweet misguided and poorly formed opinions on anthem protests. But when a player refers to black protesters as animals and calls for their mass incarceration, not to mention throwing our president in there, we should draw the line. We can debate where, exactly, that line should be and how it should be drawn. We cant debate that the line does exist. As ESPN the Magazines Mina Kimes put it, theres a difference between political commentary and hate speech. The blurring of that line only leads to more of the latter.So yes, the Mariners suspended a relatively meaningless player, for the relatively meaningless number of 10 remaining games, to the relatively meaningless tune of $34,000 pay. And yes, the Mariners probably decided that Clevengers statements construed conduct detrimental to the team from a PR perspective.?But the movement Kaepernick started, as an extension of Black Lives Matter, in reaction to an ongoing crisis with which scores of both players and fans across the major sports can identify, is what has finally begun to render hate speech detrimental. Hopefully this will continue to extend from speech, to attitude, to action. Adidas NMD R1 Cheap .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Adidas NMD R1 White . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April. http://www.cheapnmdonline.com/wholesale-adidas-nmd-human-race-china.html . Booth picked up 65 caps after making her national team debut in 2002 at the age of 17. She most recently played for Sky Blue FC of the National Womens Soccer League. "It just felt like it was my time to move on," she said in a phone interview from her hometown of Burlington, Ont. Pharrell NMD Hu China . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Adidas NMD Wholesale China .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. Three key pillars of Australias Olympic basketball squad are united in their belief the Boomers can push for a drought-breaking medal at Rio - even gold.The Boomers have never won an Olympic medal, with their best result a fourth-place finish in 1988, 1996 and 2000.Boomers can win gold - in Tokyo, says GoorjianDespite being weakened by the withdrawal of 2016 No.1 NBA draft pick Ben Simmons and 2014 No.5 selection Dante Exum -- and the possible unavailability of important big man Andrew Bogut (knee) - the Boomers are full of confidence ahead of next months Games.As the squad went through its paces during a physical scrimmage in Melbourne on Saturday, key playmakers Matthew Dellavedova and Patty Mills, and coach Andrej Lemanis, were all adamant the Aussies could push for an elusive medal, and perhaps even shock the world by claiming gold.Our goals are to achieve something Australias never done before - to win a medal, San Antonios Mills said.Our goal is gold - weve dreamt about it from when we were little kids, laying in bed dreaming about it, getting that gold medal put around our necks on the podium. To put that into reality [would be amazing].Were going to the Olympics not to just participate, but to try to win a gold medal. We all believe in it. Thats the belief we have. I think its been more felt this time around than any other program Ive been involved in.Mills partner in crime Dellavedova, fresh off winning the NBA championship with Cleveland before a $US38.4 million move to Milwaukee, said he also had his sights firmly on the gold medal.The 25-year-old said Australias famous fighting spirit and team-first mentality would help the Boomers fight above their weight division at Rio.I think our camaraderie -- the things that make Australians Australian -- is what our big advantage is, he said. We have a lot of guys going well all over the world but when we come back [as a squad], theres only one goal, and thats to win. Weve played togetther for a number of years now, so the understanding on the court, our systems, we know each other on and off the court.ddddddddddddWeve got the most guys weve ever had playing in the NBA, weve got guys playing at a really high level in Europe, the NBL is going as well as it has for a long time, so ... were not going to be intimidated by anybody.Delly excited by new Bucks team-mate Thon MakerA sign of that camaraderie was on display at Saturdays scrimmage, with Exum --who withdrew from the squad in June to focus on his recovery from a knee reconstruction in September last year - watching on intently from the sidelines, cajoling and cheering on the squad despite his unavailability for Rio.Lemanis - who will select his 12-man squad for Rio on Monday morning - said he was confident the team at his disposal could secure a podium finish.Absolutely, he said. Its something weve spoken about as a team and we believe we have enough talent and enough chemistry to go to Rio and be successful. I dont think its any secret that as a team weve set our sights on the gold medal.A key wildcard for the Boomers could be the inclusion of Bogut, who is battling bone bruising from last months NBA Finals series.His coach believes Bogut could be a key player even if he wasnt at full fitness for the Olympics.Hes such a difference-maker, his presence is so positive for the group ... so its worthwhile giving him every opportunity to play, Lemanis said.Even if he doesnt play any of the lead-in games, were still OK with that. Im OK with [Bogut playing at 60 or 70 percent fitness] - but its Andrews call, its something only he can make a call on. But if he says hes in, Im good with that.The Boomers will finalise their preparation for Rio with two games against an American College All-Stars side at Melbournes Hisense Arena?on July 12 and 14. ' ' '