. A womans sexuality seems to discredit her right to cons

At the AFLW recruitment table, getting the right balance of age, skills and high performance experience will be critical to success.Never before have the 218 AFLW players carried the weight of such unmatched investment in front of the watchful eye of an adoring but demanding AFL public.With hopes of little girls resting on their shoulders, players abilities to cope and perform well under such pressure will go a long way to determining the type of reception future women in their position will receive, and justify the AFLs implementation of such a game-changing initiative.With club lists now settled ahead to the leagues debut season, ESPN has taken a look to 2017, and what to expect from each side.Adelaide, balancing speed and endurance, expect to be a contender at every contest. But the Crows boast few players with exhibition match experience, making them vulnerable under expected AFLW pressure. The injection of Western Australian stars Chelsea Randall and Kellie Gibson will bolster their homegrown talents. Adelaides exciting youngsters such as Ebony Marinoff and emerging ruck Sarah Allan are promising but will need support if the team is have a chance at the flag.With few players older than 25, fearless forward Tayla Harris, agile small Shaleise Law, versatile tall Tahlia Randall and reliable defender Emily Bates will form Brisbanes nucleus for many years. Imports Katelyn Ashmore (Victoria) and Jess Wueschtner (WA) add speed and skill, and Sabrina Frederick Traub (WA) will stretch opposition defences in size and strength. Victorian defender Nicole Hildebrand might be the star pick with her courageous ball-winning ability. The performances of older Queensland stateswomen such as Emma Zielke and Leah Kaslar will be vital if the Lions are to be in the premiership hunt.There is no pattern to Carltons list other than theyve got depth everywhere and have a little of everything needed to cope with any situation. Darcy Vescio and Brianna Davey, Australias most versatile players, will smash you on the scoreboard then intercept across half back on the next play. And the rest of the squad? Talls. Smalls. Insiders. Outsiders. Attackers. Shut down players. Carlton will be able to cover whatever their rivals throw at them, making them a likely contender for the AFLW premiership.Collingwood boast five of AFLWs most dangerous forwards - Moana Hope, Sarah DArcy, Jessica Cameron, Jasmine Garner and Lauren Tesorerio, who can debilitate the best defender. Their defence runs just as deep, with none better than Nicola Stevens, AFLWs best defensive pressure kick and a rare contested mark. Defenders Steph Chiocci and Penny Cula Reids execution will hurt teams on the rebound. The Pies shallow inside midfield depth will see them scrap at stoppages but their outside runners are quality and ruck Emma King is brilliant. If offence wins games and defence wins championships, then Collingwood could be two thirds of their way to the premiership.If stemming the talent flow to other states was Fremantles first challenge, enticing coach Michelle Cowan from the Demons was their first win. The Dockers will be dangerous by foot through Kara Donnellan and the sublime Kirby Bentley, who fans will adore. Their young defence featuring Ebony Antonio and Hayley Miller is elite, but losing key forwards interstate has left them vulnerable. Goal kicker Amy Lavells return to the game is a positive while forward Kira Phillips rare talent will need consistency. Balancing elite athleticism and skill make Fremantle one of the competitions most hunted teams.Greater Western Sydney plugged their experience gap by recruiting nine interstate players. Emma Swanson (WA) and Jessica Dal Pos (Victoria) will support midfielders Nicola Barr and Maddie Collier. Victorians Phoebe McWilliams and Louise Stephenson will add much-needed height and forward strength. The Giants harvested the ample junior NSW talent now flowing upwards. Erin McKinnon, 18 in December and the AFLWs youngest player, will shoulder the Giants ruck work. Forward Kate Stanton, 18, will also impress. The Giants need their local senior talent to stand up if they are going to be in the mix.Pre-signing the experienced Daisy Pearce, Karen Paxman, Elise ODea and Melissa Hickey bode well for Melbourne. On draft day they deviated from experience however, recruiting 18 players who have played no more than one year of VFL football. All-Australian 18-year-olds Deanna Berry, Katherine Smith, Lily Mithen, and their junior state team peer, Jasmine Grierson, will be stars of the future, as will Jess Anderson. But have Melbourne gone too young, too soon? The Demons coach, former TAC Cup premiership coach Michael Stinear, whose ability to get immediate results with young players is revered, may be the key ingredient to their AFLW success.The Western Bulldogs might be a premiership contender due to their long list of midfielders. With stoppages the critical feature of coach Paul Groves success, it was no surprise they made emerging midfielder Jamie Lambert their first draft pick. Add hard-hitting Hayley Wildes and Hannah Scott to elite runners, Ellie Blackburn and Emma Kearney, and the Dogs should own the inside football. Katie Brennan will play a greater running role than her previous forward days too, while the recruitment of four genuine rucks in Tiarna Ernst, Lauren Spark, Courtney Clarkson and Aasta OConnor will well serve Groves game plan.AFLW teams started their five-month training programs on November 21. Larry Nance Jr. Jersey . The news was first reported on Gonzalezs Twitter account and confirmed by the Rockies. Gonzalez has a six-week window before position players have their first workout at spring training in Arizona. Cedi Osman Jersey . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/Tyrone-Hill-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Ante Zizic Cavaliers Jersey . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Brandon Knight Cavaliers Jersey . 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. The?New York Knicks?open their season Tuesday night, and all eyes will be on point guard?Derrick Rose. Less than a week after a jury in a civil suit found him and his friends not liable for gang rape, fans and media can now look upon the unfamiliar sight of Rose in a Knicks?jersey?free of guilt.That seems to be the biggest takeaway from the publics reaction to the verdict: relief that we can all go back to talking about basketball -- that we can go back to worrying about Roses health instead of his legal status.And as a lifelong Knicks fan, that just doesnt sit well with me.The first thing that always happens when an athlete is cleared of these types of accusations is for people to take a verdict as a definite statement on guilt or innocence. To be clear: The jurys decision simply means that its members found Rose to be more credible than his accuser. As rape cases tend to go, the truth of what happened on the night in question is likely murkier.Legal experts doubt that criminal charges will be brought against Rose. But without assigning him guilt -- or proclaiming him completely innocent -- the sheer glee with which many reacted to the decision is rather disturbing. The burden of a long rape case -- in which we learned some unsavory things about the accused -- has been lifted from Rose and many fans, but it still rests on his accuser and some of the more conflicted among the Knicks faithful.We dont know for sure what exactly happened on the night in question. But heres what we do know: This case played out as a textbook example of athlete privilege in the court of public opinion. Everyone seemed to forget about the charges when Rose was traded to the Knicks from the Chicago Bulls. Knicks president Phil Jackson insists he was aware of the case, but last month, he refused to answer questions about just how much the team investigated Rose. He said that he was not concerned with the then-pending trial and stated with erroneous optimism that he didnt anticipate Rose would miss any preseason games.As details of the case trickled out, so too did the proven strategy of discrediting an accuser by dredging up her sexual history. Fans came out in full support of Rose. They didnt want to believe a star player could commit such acts, but they were all too willing to believe the exaggerated notion that women are automatically out to get famous men, and that going to a civil trial -- which carries a lower burden of proof than a criminal one -- signaled a desire for money, not justice. That somehow a seven-figure payout can lift the burden of a rape accusation.Heres another thing we know: Derrick Rose does not understand the concept of consent. That seems to be particularly relevant in a case in which the judge deemed consent to be the central issue. It should be noted that Roses?accuser said?she was unconscious at the time, which would settle the consent question. According to Roses toxicology expert, she had a blood alcohol content level of 0.2, which is 2 1/2 times the legal driving limit. A motion filed by the accuser in August states that she was asleep, evidenced by her repeated failure to respond to texts and calls from Rose and another defendant.As ThinkProgress Lindsay Gibbs reported in September, depositions also show that Rose didnt seem particularly concerned with consent on the night in question. When asked whether he and the two other defendants had discussed sex as the purpose for going to the accusers home, Rose said, No, but we men. You can assume.He went on to clarify: I said we men. You can assume. Like we leaving to go over to someones house at 1:00 [a.m.], theres nothing to talk about.And while Roses attorneys used transcripts of text messages in which the accuser invited Rose to her home that evening as evidennce that she ultimately consented to sex, the plain fact is that any inkling of consent is wholly absent from their conversation that night.ddddddddddddFrom the deposition:Q: All right. Is there ?--? within what you just reviewed in those text messages, is there anything within them that would lead you to believe that plaintiff wanted to have sex with you and the other two defendants on August 26th, 2013? ...Rose: No.?Furthermore, the accusers attorney read a portion of the deposition to reporters on a teleconference call in September in which Rose clearly states he does not understand consent:Q: Do you have an understanding as to the word consent? Rose: No but can you tell me? Q: I just wanted to know if you had any understanding. Rose: No.Its extremely telling that, despite heightened awareness on sexual violence in the past couple of years, especially in sports, a star athlete still has no idea what consent is -- nor does he seem particularly concerned with needing to know more. Like his fans, Rose just wants to get back to the basketball court.Roses case highlights the need to continue to have these conversations, to make sure men and women alike understand when it is and is not OK to have sex with someone. This isnt just to protect accusers: If athletes see themselves as such targets for gold-diggers and cleat chasers, you would think theyd want to learn more about consent in order to make sure they always have it.It also underscores the importance of continued educational programs for athletes at the high school, college and pro levels.?Detroit Lions?linebacker?DeAndre Levy, maybe the most socially aware athlete out there when it comes to gender issues, credits the NFLs often-mocked awareness program with helping him understand consent and assault. In an essay for the Players Tribune in April, Levy said he has learned so much after having been ignorant of such issues for so many of his formative years.My understanding is that most women have heard the talk about how to avoid becoming a victim, but growing up, I was never involved in a conversation about what consent is. I was never even flat-out told not to rape or sexually assault anyone, he wrote. An athletes sense of entitlement to a womans body is exacerbated because he has been idolized and put on a pedestal in a hyper-masculine culture. Not only am I a man, but I am also a strong and successful man. Why would someone say no? You should all want me.Unfortunately, its not just athletes who have absorbed this mentality -- its the fans, too, as weve seen in the reaction to Roses case. A womans sexuality seems to discredit her right to consent in the eyes of many, while an athletes status only raises his credibility, assigning him the automatic benefit of the doubt. But that collective sigh of relief breathed by Knicks fans after the jury cleared Rose wasnt just about the desire to get back to basketball. It was taken as an implicit affirmation that all these beliefs about athlete targets and women who lie must be true.Its fine to be excited about the NBAs return -- Im looking forward to this season myself. But if you celebrated the Rose decision, youre celebrating a system that you seem to think works in favor of accusers, which is contrary to all the evidence on reporting, prosecution and verdicts. Its also contrary to all the psycho-social implications of sympathy toward famous defendants versus Jane Doe plaintiffs. Thats how we get the utterly bizarre images of jurors posing with Rose and his attorneys after delivering their verdict. Though the trial played out in Los Angeles, they look just as excited as Knicks fans to move on. ' ' '