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. Balenciaga Wholesale Supplier Uk .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Balenciaga Shoes Clearance .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.wholesalebalenciagauk.com/ . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. Balenciaga Shoes Cheap Uk .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. Balenciaga Shoes Outlet Uk . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. INCHEON, South Korea -- Curtis Luck overcame a seven-stroke deficit to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur on Sunday and earn a Masters invitation that the Australian didnt need.Already in the Masters with his U.S. Amateur victory, the 20-year-old Luck made a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 18th for a 5-under 67 and a one-stroke victory over countryman Brett Coletta.Ive had an amazing year and this has topped it off, Luck said. I came here to try my best and win, but I wasnt expecting to be standing here with the trophy at the end of the week.Luck finished at 12-under 276 at Jack Nicklaus Golf Club. He earned a spot in the British Amateur, after securing positions in the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open with his U.S. Amateur victory in August at Oakland Hills.Coletta, the third-round leader, had a chance to force a playoff on 18, but missed a 14-foot birdie try.It was a pretty nerve-racking finish, Luck said. I knew Brett could make birdie on 18, so fortunately for me he didnt. That bunker shot was probably one of the most nervous shots Ive ever had to play, and the putt just toppeed it off.dddddddddddd I left myself a bit of a swinging putt, but I had a really good feel for it.Luck ended up costing Coletta a spot beside him the Masters.Bretts a really close friend of mine and I understand the opportunity he has just missed out on, Luck said. I do feel a little guilty and sad, but Im so competitive I couldnt give up the chance to win an event like this.Coletta had two double bogeys in a 75.Its really hard to swallow, but youve got to look at the positives, said Coletta, also 20.New Zealands Luke Toomey was third at 9 under after a 66.Australias Cameron Davis, a stroke ahead of Luck and Coletta with four holes to play, closed bogey-bogey-birdie-triple bogey for a 77 that left him fourth at 7 under.Last week in Mexico, Davis teamed with Luck to lead Australia to victory in the World Amateur Team Championship and topped the individual standings.The tournament is run by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, the Masters and The R&A. ' ' '