LOS ANGELES -- Even though Carmelo Anthony and Tamika Catchings wore their Team USA attire Monday, they werent speaking on behalf of USA Basketball. Maybe, just maybe, they were because of USA Basketball, because of the international travel and exposure to different cultures and overall enlightenment thats a byproduct in their participation in the past three Summer Olympics stretching back to 2004. The sum total of all of their voyages, physical and personal, had brought them to this room at the Challenger Boys & Girls Club, addressing the media following a youth-police interactive session designed to bridge the gap between people of color and law enforcement.Were often too quick to conflate prominence with experience. We think that just because someone is famous they are qualified or even obligated to speak out on societal issues, when the reality is speeches are better left to those who actually have something to say. Anthony and Catchings dont profess to have all of the solutions. What they know -- what we can tell about them -- is that theyre equipped to take on the problems.Being an athlete you have a choice: You can either stay in the bubble that were in or you can get more engaged, Catchings said later. Being knowledgeable, being informed about everything thats going on ? I do feel like because we travel so much, we are exposed to a lot. I think that does kind of play into being able to speak out on different issues.For Anthony, there is no trace the steps of his journey, no indication of where he learned what, or when. He cant even pinpoint what pressed him into action in the early hours of July 8, when he awoke from a fitful sleep and began composing an Instagram post. All he knows is that after the darkest side of America took the lives of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile and five Dallas police officers, It was too much.So Anthony posted a picture of the famous athletes summit featuring Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and let his thoughts flow.I just started typing, Anthony said.He enlisted his fellow athletes to call for systemic changes, to apply pressure to politicians, to make demands. They were just words on a screen. But typing is an action. Self-expression is an action. We know this because the laws of physics say actions bring about reactions, and look at the ripple effects since Anthonys Instagram post hit.Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James led off the ESPYS broadcast with another call to action. WNBA players wore protest warmup shirts, used their postgame interviews to address only Black Lives Matter-related topics, then held firm and forced the league to rescind its fines for their violations of uniform policies.Monday provided the most tangible progress yet, with about 200 youths meeting with police officers, community leaders and Olympic team members to air out thoughts from both sides of the law enforcement divide that has gone from tense to deadly lately.A couple of things came out of it that were simple, but profound, said deputy chief William Scott, a commanding officer in the Los Angeles Police Departments South Bureau.He mentioned the girl who said it would help if police officers admitted their mistakes when they made them. (There can be so little police accountability in the wake of tragic incidents, starting with a reluctance to even release the names of the officers involved.)One of our officers said, You know, youre right, Scott said. The culture of law enforcement, sometimes we dont own up to what were doing. And he pledged in public that I promise you, thats something I can do. Its those types of things that are very powerful.An African-American officer described the tension he feels when he is off-duty in plain clothes and is pulled over by white police officers.That tension is not just felt from community to police officer, said Calvin Lyons, the president and CEO of the area Boys & Girls Clubs. It can be from police officer to police officer when race and ethnicity are involved.Finding commonalities and minimizing differences are the first steps that can be taken. If one kid has a better perspective on what police officers are thinking during a stop and if one officer has a handle on interacting with people of color, the day was a success. Catchings, of the Indiana Fever, said she cant wait to collaborate with the Indiana Pacers Paul George to hold a similar event back in Indianapolis.A few athletes cant undo racism or eradicate fear and hate. Through words and actions they can make a difference, however slight.Were just going to keep it going, Anthony said. Were going to keep the conversations going. But for me to just see it, when youre in it, you really dont understand or feel the impact that youre creating or that you have. Its not until you kind of sit back and unwind and think about everything and put everything into perspective.Its not time to sit back yet. We can pause for just a moment, however, and acknowledge the place this generation of athletes has reached. And lets make sure to salute the female athletes who are speaking out from empathy, not their own fear. Lyons, the Boys & Girls Club executive, noticed a slight gender-based difference in the comments during the sessions.The young ladies were speaking about: our brothers, our uncles, our fathers, Lyons said. The young men were speaking about themselves. How do I react? And the young ladies seemed to have a fear for losing someone close to them.The fear was enough to spark action from the WNBA players. The Minnesota Lynx started it, with shirts that referenced Sterling, Castile and the Dallas officers, along with a #BlackLivesMatter hashtag.Wearing the shirts, it was more of: Hey, we want to use our voice, because we want to make a difference, Catchings said. When you have 144 WNBA athletes and all 144 players supported what we did. Every single team supported it. And I think when you look at that, being able to use our voice. ? Of course we were going to get fined at first, and nobody cared. We wanted to stand up for what we believed in. When you look at the power of African-American women, and being able to step up and join causes and support our brothers, thats what its all about. It doesnt matter what race you are, when you can come together for a cause and make a movement and make sure that, united, we can make a change.Sue Bird isnt African-American, but she joined all of her Seattle Storm teammates in wearing black shirts for a photo that she and her teammates posted on Twitter. They used a Martin Luther King quote -- There comes a time when silence is betrayal -- tagged the @WNBA Twitter account and used the hashtags #WeWillNOTBeSilenced and #BlackLivesMatter.The WNBA stood down, the fines were rescinded and the side controversy was over.Its good that now the focus can be on whats really important, Bird said.The WNBA players are uniquely qualified to advance the argument, even if its a case of positives springing from negatives.A lot of us have played throughout the world, Bird said, reflecting a common occurrence since WNBA salaries dont allow for a luxurious offseason. Were college grads, weve played throughout the world, weve done all these things and with that we have a sense, I think, about us. And maybe some of that does come from having to fight for respect.Anthony hasnt had to fight many of those battles. Yet hes enlisted in this one, at the forefront of a national crisis.For me personally, Im going to continue with these small groups, Anthony said. I think a lot of things come out when you put people into small groups and talk about it.Hes bringing it home. Chuck D has said the difference between Public Enemys first album, Yo! Bum Rush The Show and their classic second album It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back was the time the group spent touring the world for the first album. They gained a global perspective that improved their art.We saw improved versions of Carmelo Anthony and Tamika Catchings on Monday, two athletes who have been enriched by every opportunity afforded them, two Olympians with one more Games in which to compete. One more Olympic trip to come, with the possibility of even more benefits. Nike Presto Off White Prezzo . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Nike Presto Fly Uomo . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. http://www.prestoflyuomo.it/nike-presto-qs-fleece-pack-nere-argento-uomo.html . Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. Nike Presto Fly . Tuesdays surgery at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital was performed by Dr. Xavier Duralde and Hawks team physician Dr. Michael Bernot. Nike Presto Uomo . Supported by three-run homers from Jayson Werth and Wilson Ramos, the young right-hander went seven strong innings in the Washington Nationals 8-4 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.Head coach Dan Ryan hopes to commit his future to Manchester Thunder for years to come after guiding his team to a Grand Final in his first season in charge. The Australian left his role as assistant coach with Adelaide Thunderbirds to take charge of Thunder and has steered his side to Saturdays title decider against reigning champions Surrey Storm at the Copper Box Arena, live on Sky Sports.Ryan paid tribute to his players and coaching staff for their role in a successful season, which saw them finish top of the Vitality Netball Superleague with just one defeat, and wants to complete a dream ending. Defending champions Surrey Storm will meet Manchester Thunder in the Vitality Superleague Grand Final after Saturdays semi-finals It will be a dream come true to be honest, Ryan told Sky Sports.Its been an unbelievable life experience, coming here to England, and head coaching Manchester Thunder. Ive been embraced by the players, the franchise, the fans from the very start. I think Ive got unfinished business here at Thunder and would like to really be a part of this culture for the years to come. Dan Ryan On a personal level, Ive sacrificed a lot to come here, moving over the other side of the world. I wouldnt change it for anything. To wrap up my season with this great group of players and these wonderful people would be just the ultimate, and hopefully we can finish off what we started at the weekend.I think Ive got unfinished business here at Thunder and would like to really be a part of this culture for years to come. I just think we are starting to scratch the surface of what we can do as a franchise and hopefully we can start off our relationship together with the Premiership and see where we go from there.dddddddddddd Reaction from both camps after Manchester Thunder beat Team Bath in the semi-finals Vitality Netball International Series: England v Jamaica Tickets will be available at 10am on Friday 6th May via Sky Tickets Second-placed Storm are returning to the same sold-out venue where they took the trophy just over 12 months ago, but Ryan does not believe Surrey will have a psychological edge.I think it perhaps puts a little bit more pressure on them to retain their title to be honest, he said. Its always hard when youre defending stuff and were super keen to go there and steal the title off them, so I think in that regard its going to be a great contest. Storm defeated Hertfordshire Mavericks in last years Grand Final They had a really tough semi-final and really proved their worth to jump into the final, when they themselves I dont think thought they would make it this far. But theyve done fantastic job to get to this point of the competition.I just think its going to be a great showdown of two classy teams. Whoever wants it more will come out on top. Watch Saturdays Grand Final between Manchester Thunder and Surrey Storm from 4.30pm on Sky Sports 5. Or watch for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: Sky Live: Superleague Grand Final Taumaunu to take England role WATCH: Housbys magic moment Vote for Player of the season Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys ' ' '