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Prominent sociologist and civil-rights activist Dr. Harry Edwards says the efforts of superstars such as Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James in using their platforms as a means for social change reflect an evolution in power among top black athletes but that action will be required to effect real change.Edwards, a professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley, told The Associated Press that athletes have the capability today that we only dreamed about in the 1960s when only one or two athletes even had endorsements.He dated the punctuated moments of the evolution back to the early part of the 20th century, saying it began as fights to gain legitimacy, then access, before moving on to respect and dignity -- and ultimately power.Joe Louis and Jack Johnson and Jesse Owens struggled for legitimacy, Edwards said. Then you began this struggle for access. Which is what Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby and Kenny Washington and all those guys were involved in. In the 1960s, the struggle was for respect and dignity.Now the struggle is for power. And these men have power. So they have a different forum than we had in the late 1960s to be able to go on network television and make a statement concerning violence and the killing of black men, women and children in this country. ... Thats an exercise of power.Anthony, the New York Knicks star forward, is taking a break Monday from his preparations with the U.S. Olympic basketball team to host a meeting in Los Angeles with athletes, politicians and people in the community to advance the conversation about what he has called a broken system.Anthonys meeting in Los Angeles coincides with the latest stop on the Olympic mens team exhibition schedule as the Americans prepare for the Rio Games.Edwards pointed to the need for progress on both an individual and collective level. He said trust and respect needs to be built between individuals and police and that both sides need to acknowledge wrongdoing. There are criminals in the community who deserve to be arrested and rogue officers who need to be held accountable for excessive force, he said.The bottom line of any step is the voting booth, Edwards said.If youre out there marching up and down the street with Black Lives Matter and then dont go to the polls to vote out the mayor of Ferguson, to vote out the sheriff of Milwaukee County or whatever, then ... youre marching into a cul-de-sac, Edwards said. When you march into a cul-de-sac and just come back out angry, youre not a member of a movement because its not going anywhere. Youre a member of a mob.And the difference in a representative democracy between a movement and a mob is whether you follow through with the actions necessary to make the changes that youve been trying to convince people are the correct direction to go.The newfound power of todays athlete comes from monetary wealth, celebrity status and having the vehicle of social media to communicate directly with the masses. They can reach hordes of people, encouraging them to get involved in social change.Anthony, James, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade gave an anti-violence speech at the ESPYS and expressed their support of the values behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Missouri football players threatened to boycott games last year in support of student groups protesting the schools racial environment, and Missouri president Timothy Wolfe eventually retired. Serena Williams spoke out against the violence at Wimbledon. Members of the WNBAs Indiana Fever, New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury recently wore black warm-up shirts in the wake of recent shootings by and against police officers and were initially fined by the league.The WNBA rescinded the fines after a public backlash.It is almost economically impossible to ignore todays athletes as the power they wield reaches further than their bank accounts.James is worth millions of dollars to the Cleveland economy as the success of the Cavaliers motivates thousands of people to spend. The Cavs attendance ranked No. 2 in the league in 2009-10 and the past two seasons but dipped as low as No. 22 during James four years with the Miami Heat.Athletes influence goes beyond promoting merchandise and ticket sales.Social media allows athletes to directly communicate with millions of followers with a few keystrokes. Edwards explained that ISIS has used social media in a similar way to recruit self-radicalized people. The difference is in the message.Dr. Joseph Cooper, an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut, echoed Edwards in saying any major social policy -- civil rights movement, feminist movement, passage of Title IX -- began with multiple conversations.But there must be action behind the words. Both said that is the next step in the process.Cooper called for sustained engagement from athletes on whatever level they are comfortable -- such as continuing the conversation, meeting with groups like Black Lives Matter, the NAACP and 100 Black Men, and identifying specific issues and targeting ways to improve them. Cooper also discussed the need to have benchmarks in which progress can be measured.All these athletes say we care about the Black Lives Matter movement. In a year from now, we want to see that youve actually been continuing in championing the support, Cooper said. Muhammad Alis legacy is a great example of how he didnt rest on his laurels in making one decision and saying OK, thats enough.In a concise manner, the steps forward are sustained engagement. What that looks like for each individual athlete and each community will be different. But it definitely involves tangible action, civic responsibility and engagement and accountability measures. The call for accountability has to be followed up with actual consequences if certain things arent done.Edwards said sports have become a religion in this country and around the world, giving athletes more influence than in the past. He believes as walking corporations they carry more weight than the doctor up the street or the lawyer around the corner or even the community organizer.Sports in modern societies really amount to secular religions, Edwards said. Athletes have a phenomenal megaphone. ... So that obligation to speak up, especially in regards to the African-American outcomes and interests, is critical.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. <a href="https://www.cheapflames.com/">Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys</a>. -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. <a href="https://www.cheapflames.com/">Flames Jerseys 2021</a>. The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. <a href="https://www.cheapflames.com/">https://www.cheapflames.com/</a>.ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. <a href="https://www.cheapflames.com/">Stitched Flames Jerseys</a>. Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. <a href="https://www.cheapflames.com/">Calgary Flames Store</a>. Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Professional sports, by their nature, are in constant transition. With players now peaking in their mid- to late 20s, tennis experiences a considerable annual turnover.Its like that moving walkway at the airport, said Brad Gilbert earlier this week from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he called matches for ESPN. When you get off, it keeps on moving. Those tournaments keep on coming.Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won at least one Grand Slam title between them for a dozen straight years, from 2003-14. Although that streak ended last year, 2016 looks and feels like something approaching a sea change on the mens side.New York, in particular, will offer a distinctly different vibe. For the first time this century, Federer will not be present at the US Open, which begins Monday. The five-time champion will presumably be back home in Switzerland, surrounded by his wife and four children, rehabbing knee and back injuries with an eye on next year.Im trying to focus on getting back, being healthy and remaining motivated, Federer told reporters earlier this week while in New York for a promotion. Its not a struggle to go to the gym or the physio room and do my exercises.More specifically, Federer targeted early January to make his comeback, at the Hopeman Cup and then the Australian Open.I remain very upbeat but in a way its painful to be here, and it was hard watching the Olympics and not playing, he said.Gilbert, who coached Andre Agassi back in the day and later, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori, turned professional in 1982 and played through 1995. In 35 years, hes seen many generations of athletes.It will feel different, Gilbert acknowledged. We didnt have Fed in Canada or Cincinnati, but for the casual fan, the void will be more noticeable at the US Open. In a way, his absence will help make them appreciate what hes done for the game.The 35-year-old Federer made the difficult decision to shut it down after Wimbledon. He still ranks No. 3 among ATP World Tour players, but 28 matches are his fewest in a season going back to his first, in 1998. For the first time since 2000, he will go an entire year without winning at least one title.Its going to be a different energy, said Justin Gimelstob, who will be in New York as a Tennis Channel analyst. Well miss his aura and his presence. But the US Open is still the US Open. There are a lot of intriguing storylines out there.Nadal, now 30, won nine of 10 titles at Roland Garros but had his worst result in Paris in May after granting a third-round walkover victory to fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers. That left wrist injury also caused Rafa to miss Wimbledon before he reached the bronze-medal match att the Rio Olympics.dddddddddddd For Nadal, this will be only the second appearance in New York in the past four years.Even Novak Djokovic, the best player in tennis over the past five-plus years, has seen his grip on the game become a tad looser. The flexible, fluent Serb won the seasons first two majors, in Melbourne and Paris, then watched as Murray won Wimbledon and the Rio Olympics. But Murray wasnt the one who beat Djokovic in either of those events.After losing in the first round at Rio to Juan Martin del Potro, Djokovic -- citing a recurring left wrist injury -- elected to skip Cincinnati, while Murray reached the final Sunday, only to fall to Marin Cilic.The condition of Djokovics wrist has gripped the rabid slice of tennis fans on social media. New York should provide some answers.Yes, after enormous anticipation and advance publicity, were into a new era. The 30-somethings are giving way to teenagers and players already formidable in their early 20s.Federer, of course, was once a teenage phenomenon.He was 16 years old when he played his first ATP-level match, in Gstaad, Switzerland, where he lost to Lucas Arnold Ker. The second match didnt go any better; Federer lost in Geneva to Orlin Stanoytchev. In his third tournament, in Toulouse, France, he got to the quarterfinals and this pushed his year-end ranking all the way up to ... No. 302. A year later, he was No. 64.In his first US Open, in 2000, Federer advanced to the third round, where he dropped a fourth-set match to future two-time French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. Four years later, Federer won his first US Open title -- his third major triumph of the year.In recent years, however, mens tennis -- at least at the top -- has been a remarkably stable enterprise. Since Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray have, astonishingly, won 42 of the past 46 Grand Slams.In that time, no fewer than 17 women -- including Flavia Pennetta, Marion Bartoli and Samantha Stosur -- have won majors.Federer hasnt won a major since Wimbledon in 2012, but going forward, he still sees himself as a major player.I took this decision [to have surgery and take time off] because I see myself still playing for numerous years, Federer said. Otherwise, I would have just said, Who cares. 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