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. NFL Stitched Jerseys . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Stitched Jerseys From China .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. http://www.stitchedwholesalejerseys.com/ . The 19-year-old Olsen played 34 games with the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL this season. In that time, hes recorded 17 goals and 17 assists with 36 penalty minutes. 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Boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr., a Mississippi-born race car driver whose roots are in dirt-track sprint-car racing -- and who isnt exactly trained to be a fashion guru -- went dress shopping with Patrick and did more than just give her an opinion after she tried on outfits.It took some convincing for Patrick to even try on the white dress she wore Tuesday night.When it was on the hanger, I was like, Babe, thats like a fancy-lady dress and Im really not that much of a lady, Patrick said. And hes like, Maybe you should think about it.I put it on and it fits a lot different. On the hanger, it looks really loose and like, gaudy. But on, its super fitted.Stenhouse said he enjoys going shopping with Patrick (we assume he was telling the truth on the red carpet).I like style, Stenhouse said. Shes got great style, but I like to add my touch to it and at least give her a thought. She did not like that dress at all.dddddddddddd.But I told her to try it on.Now before anyone thinks Stenhouse might have a new career after his driving days are over, some of what Stenhouse wore Tuesday night would prove hes still more Mississippi than Manhattan.She was not impressed -- Ive got my ostrich boots and my stingray belt on, Stenhouse said. I do vary a little bit.But, this wasnt the first time Stenhouse helped out with a Patrick outfit. Stenhouse performed the task admirably in 2013 when he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year award.Patrick didnt realize the event was black tie and only had a short dress with her while she was on the way to meet Stenhouse in Las Vegas for the event.I said, Babe, can you just go look around and see if you can find something for me? Patrick said. He picked the dress out, had it set aside. He picked the shoes out and had them set aside as well.I had 45 minutes from when I got to the store to when we had to be walking the red carpet to literally have the outfit, put it on, touch-ups -- and I bought and wore exactly what he picked out.?The two had been dating for only a year at the time.Isnt that amazing? Patrick said. Hes actually got a really good eye. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '