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. Cheap MLB Jerseys China . Pettersen, winner of last years Evian Championships, had nine birdies and three bogeys, holding off a series of challengers led by Marion Ricordeau of France. The second-ranked Norwegian made her season debut after missing the LPGA Tours opening event last month in the Bahamas because of a shoulder injury. Stitched Nike MLB Jerseys . The 20-year-old Pelicans big man glanced up and smiled widely at the well-wishers -- a fitting end to a day he wont soon forget. 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ATLANTA -- The Seattle Mariners acquired right-handers Rob Whalen and Max Povse from the Atlanta Braves on Monday night for outfield prospect Alex Jackson and a player to be named.The 20-year-old Jackson was the sixth pick in the 2014 amateur draft. He has hit .233 in three minor league seasons, including .243 with 11 homers and 55 RBI for Class A Clinton of the Midwest League this year.We value upside, and we believe Alex has a lot of it, Braves general manager John Coppolella told The Associated Press. We believe in the potential and the person, and we are excited for his future with our organization.Jackson was a catcher at Rancho Bernardo High School in San Diego. Adding depth at catcher is an offseason priority for Atlanta. Coppolella would not say if Jackson might be given a look behind the plate in 2017.Whalen, 22, was 1-2 with a 6.57 ERA in five starts for Atlanta this season and was Double-A Mississippis pitcher of the year. Povse, 23, had a 3.36 ERA at Mississippi and Class A Carolina.Whalen was placed on the disabled list Aug. 25 wiith right shoulder fatigue.dddddddddddd He was a 12th-round pick by the Mets in 2012 and was traded to the Braves with right-hander John Gant on July 24, 2015, for Kelly Johnson, Juan Uribe and cash.This move gives us two young, polished pitchers who immediately bolster our starting pitching depth, while adding to our roster flexibility, Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.Right-hander Ryan Weber was designated for assignment to clear a spot on Seattles 40-man roster. He was claimed off waivers from Atlanta on Nov. 2.The trade was the latest move for the Braves during a busy offseason.Atlanta has agreed to one-year deals with veteran right-handers R.A. Dickey and Bartolo Colon. Coppolella has said he hopes to add another starting pitcher.The Braves also agreed to an $11.5 million, two-year contract with former Pirates utilityman Sean Rodriguez. That deal is pending Rodriguez passing a physical. ' ' '