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This story appears in ESPN The Magazines Dec. Cheap Custom Rockies Jersey . 12 issue. Subscribe today!The elation of the World Series is now behind us, and thus begins the season when every player joins the same team against an opponent that happens to pay them. Major League Baseball is on a tenuous 21-year streak of labor peace since the beginning of the last work stoppage, when the 1994 strike devastated the sport, destroyed the Montreal Expos and paved the way for the steroid era. Uncomfortable truths, all, but truths nevertheless.The truths of the negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (the current one expires Dec. 1) arent necessarily heroic from the selfish eye of the fan, who couldnt care less about labor unless a lockout or a strike looms. Its players vs. owners, millions vs. billions. There dont appear to be any apocalyptic issues that would stop the game, but that doesnt mean a work stoppage wont occur.The issues that would radically shape baseball for the better-determining once and for all whether the game continues down its path of everyday interleague play and, if so, whether it adds the DH to the National League or abolishes it in the American-are likely not on the table. Nor is the nonstarter of shortening the season to accommodate the increase of playoff teams (which has reduced the necessity of a 162-game season) and to avoid bad postseason weather. What is on the table is, in a sense, climate change. Baseball has slowly been trying to turn its culture closer to footballs-look at how the commissioners office has pushed for more power (see: Alex Rodriguez being suspended for a full season in 2014 during the Biogenesis scandal without failing a drug test), and witness the primacy of baseballs odious qualifying offer, which, although it might survive the negotiations, shouldnt.On its face, the qualifying offer -- which can be extended to eligible free agents who have been with a team for the entire previous season -- seems to work for everyone. It mimics the NFLs franchise tag with one major exception: Unlike NFL players, MLB players can reject it -- and they have, roundly, over its four-year existence. In football, not one of the 27 quarterbacks in the Hall of Fame was ever a healthy, in-prime unrestricted free agent. In baseball, a player who has accepted the qualifying offer would earn $17.2?million for the 2017 season and would get to become an unrestricted free agent after. The player makes a lot of money and puts off free agency for a year. The team, meanwhile, doesnt have to compete for its own player but isnt tied to a long-term contract. A win-win, right?Wrong. Since the inception of the new system in 2012, 64 qualifying offers have been made by teams, with only five accepted. This year Neil Walker of the Mets and Jeremy Hellickson of the Phillies accepted. The other eight players offered this year did not, aware of their worth on the open market. Yoenis Cespedes, for example, rejected the Mets qualifying offer, knowing full well some team will likely commit to him for more than one year; in turn, the Mets will receive a draft pick from whatever team signs him.The qualifying offer isnt destroying baseball, but its not helping either because it continues to expose old wounds. The sport is a $10?billion industry and yet, 41 years and untold profits later, ownership still hasnt been willing to accept the concept of player movement without some form of compensation in return. The philosophy behind free agent compensation has always been specious: that if a team loses a player to free agency, it deserves compensation for having developed the talent. The counter is more sensible: Baseball controls a drafted player until he hits six years of service time. Then that player should be free to join the marketplace to shop his services, the debt to his club paid.The gap between MLB philosophy and reality is wide. The qualifying offer is really designed to dampen free agency and depress salaries, to give teams pause before signing free agents because they dont want to lose the draft picks attached to signing one. On the other side, it discourages teams from retaining their own players with long-term deals and encourages them to acquire draft picks. A team, for example, that needs Cespedes might not sign him because it doesnt want to give up compensation, which means not doing what it takes to win. Winning, in fact, often falls a distant second to making and saving money. The pursuit of the World Series is the summer game. That game is over, giving way to the winter game: owners vs. players battling over money and control. Cheap Rockies Jerseys .ca. Kerry,  Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count?  All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. Custom Rockies Jerseys . LOUIS -- Theres no telling how these wacky World Series games will end. http://www.customrockiesjersey.com/ .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. A few weeks ago, I spoke with Adam Jones about the challenges Major League Baseball players face when considering whether to speak out on a social issue. On Monday, Jones publicly addressed Colin Kaepernicks protest of the national anthem, citing how baseballs lack of African-American representation makes it difficult for black players to be vocal without consequence. Given baseballs rich history in social reform, whether through the trailblazing efforts of Jackie Robinson or the intentional impact of Roberto Clemente, baseball has always had a voice that society had to acknowledge. But today, issues are clouded by new realities.So why say something now?Why now? For me it just happened, Jones said. I think we as athletes always want to make an impact. In our communities and between the lines of course. But what comes with this job is leadership and responsibility that you didnt know you had. Little kids, future ballers and adults envy what we do. Thats why stadiums are packed.I was asked a question about Kaep and I just ran with it. Its about respect besides the story title. I just think its important we all continue to educate ourselves. The dialogue is all I believe Kaep wanted to create. A dialogue to help stop some of the things that happen in this country. The worse thing is to turn a blind cheek to things. I wasnt raised like that and my momma and most certainly my grandma taught me to stand up for what you believe in. In our sport and life you cant be afraid of the truth. Especially if its brought to attention in such nonviolent matter.For the past few weeks, Ive been posing questions to former and current major leaguers about the challenges of publicly speaking out against social injustice. Torii Hunter, Chris Archer, Jimmy Rollins, Sean Doolittle, Curtis Granderson, David Ortiz, LaTroy Hawkins and many others provided insight into the internal conflict that comes with sticking their necks out to support a cause, from navigating social media to headlines that dont reflect the players sentiment and the basic idea that a players economic future is at risk when players dont tow the company line.Baseball is daily. There is no week to think between games, there is little time to reflect or rethink ones position. Once you jump in the world of public opinion, everything changes, and players believe this isnt reversible. Speak carefully, they say, or dont speak at all.So what does todays baseball player face in finding footing to address social justice issues? Here is what they had to say.What are the challenges of speaking out?Ensuring that your voice and message is not misconstrued. The power of context is really important, making certain that your words arent twisted and that youre represented how you intended to be represented. Reporters dont necessarily dictate headlines, but they hold the power of telling readers your story -- and unfortunately, more often than not, headlines dont properly showcase the intended message. -- GrandersonOnce you do so, you are no longer that role model of being a great citizen for our children to look up to. Now youre the outsider, now all the good you have done is overshadowed by your exercising your freedom of speech -- RollinsMost guys dont do it because they dont feel the sting of the issue once you get to a certain status in society. The biggest challenge is being able to stand up for values cherished by a widespread of people and stay the course for change. -- HawkinsThe backlash a player might receive on social media and from fans. That can end up being a distraction to yourself or your team -- especially if you engage. Oftentimes it is very difficult to fully explain yourself on a social media outlet such as Twitter, where you only have 140 characters, and people can take your message out of context because there is not a lot of room for nuance. The message can get stripped down so much that it becomes very polarizing, which is never a good place to start any discussion on any issue. Theres also those out there who just want athletes to stick to sports, and have this image of who and what they perceive their role models to think and believe. And if it doesnt line up perfectly with their perceived expectations, they get disappointed or even angry that their arbitrary expectations are not met. -- DoolittleHow have challenges evolved over your career?When I started my career a decade or so ago, digital and social media didnt exist. Now, newspaper articles are available online in an array or formats -- blogs, social media, video clips, etc. -- and provide readers the opportunity to publicly comment. In verbal conversations, most people are selective with their comments, but with digital and social media, they say things they wouldnt normally say out loud -- hidden behind emails or user names. -- GrandersonI have learned over the years to proofread my tweets two, three and four times, just to make sure that nothing can be misconstrued or misinterpreted and lead to any amount of negativity or backlash. Ive certainly stopped engaging with fans as much, which is frustrating, because thats the reason I joined Twitter in the first place. -- DoolittleWhy dont MLB players participate openly in national statements? I Cant Breathe, etc.As far as I Cant Breathe or Black Lives Matter or the Kaepernick anthem demonstration, I feel uncomfortable speaking to that. Id rather listen. Here are the facts though: The league is composed of over 60 percent white men. When so much of the league has a background or comes from a place where there might be more privilege and opportunity, its very difficult to relate to something they have never seen nor experienced. Thats human nature. People are slower to educate themselves and be informed about something if they have never experienced it. They might even downplay the level at which those problems exist. But that certainly doesnt let people off the hook. My only experiences with police are when they stand guard in our bullpen or when they escort us to the airport. No one has ever questioned my legitimacy as a citizen or a homeowner or a pedestrian. Custom Todd Helton Jersey. But I cant pretend it doesnt happen just because it has never happened to me. If we are willing to have an open mind and empathize rather than immediately getting defensive, then maybe we can start a far more constructive dialogue that hopefully leads to addressing these problems. -- DoolittleI think African-American baseball players just dont have a strong enough voice to be heard in our community because they are not visible in those areas. -- HunterMost kids are so caught up in their own career they feel they have no time to deal with anything that might bring negative attention. -- HawkinsOftentimes you may be the only black player in your clubhouse. That makes it hard to take that stand when its 24-1 plus coaches and staff and upper management. Baseballs history of segregation and later inclusion is well documented but of the major three American sports, its the one where were not the majority. We make up less than a tenth of all major league players. -- RollinsCountless athletes support national statements/causes - the armed forces, veterans, health-related causes, etc. Topics such as politics, gun violence, racial issues are all very important but are typically very controversial, which is why most athletes shy away from sharing their views on those topics publicly. -- GrandersonI would tell them to be careful in following the masses because sometimes the M might be silent. -- HunterThere are certain things you have to shy away from because you dont want to offend your co-workers, just like any working environment. Its hard to explain certain things to people who are looking at the world from a different lens than you. Certain things will never resonate with me, certain things wont resonate with my teammates. Its just life. -- ArcherWhat is most unfair about criticism of players who do not speak out?Just because an athlete isnt speaking publicly to the masses doesnt mean its not important to them or that they arent doing anything to help resolve it. I heard something recently about how its a professional athletes responsibility to speak out about police violence. I disagree strongly with that statement. For example, I have teammates from other countries that have pressing issues such as having enough food for their family, clean running water, safe living conditions, etc. Those athletes are focused on those things, but it doesnt mean they dont care about other issues at hand. Athletes cant be all things to all people. -- GrandersonWhat do you say to people who believe having enough money should free you up to speak out?Using your platform doesnt always have a positive impact. The more fame, money and power you have, the more youll be criticized for your position. -- GrandersonThe more money or power you have, the more attention you can bring to something. That doesnt mean you want to stand there and fight for that issue your entire life. You may just want to protest whats happening in that moment and be done with it, but having money doesnt allow you to just do that because you are always an athlete first. -- RollinsThere are tons of people with money that you dont want speaking on your behalf. Having money doesnt make you smarter. -- HawkinsSo what do you think the role of visible athletes is in expressing concern?Most athletes (like myself) address issues that they have a personal connection to -- some big, some small, but all very important. If a major social justice issue occurs in our society, athletes shouldnt always be the go-to for comments, unless they have a personal connection to the issue. What most people forget is that many professional athletes take a stand on social justice issues 365 days a year, but if those actions arent connected to a national and trending news platform, those stories often go untold. -- GrandersonThe expectation that athletes should take on every social issue is not fair. You have to have a passion for that issue that you are speaking out about. -- HunterSometimes a player can speak from first-hand experience, but if not, we have to make sure we use our platforms responsibly, and must know what it is that we are talking about. Theres no sense in muddying the message with an uninformed or poorly thought-out argument that only serves to add to the white noise in the background of the issue itself. -- DoolittleWho is most responsible for making changes?Doctors, lawyers, culinary artists, teachers, officers, every profession has the ability to make a change, or speak for change. Im sure they do. But it isnt highlighted as much. I honestly feel like it should be digested the same as anyone with any other occupation. Not blown out of proportion. We are people, we have a unique skill set, but doesnt everyone? -- ArcherThese issues that are going on are too big for one person. Everyone will need to take part in making changes. Theres an old proverb that says, If you want to go quickly, you go alone. But if you want to go far, we have to go together. -- HunterWhy do players express concern about sponsors and endorsements?Athlete endorsement and sponsorship deals dont usually make major news unless they are very large lucrative deals. That being said, when an athletes sponsor drops them (for whatever reason), its a major news story. Personally, I always ensure that my partnerships align with my community interests. Im really selective on my off-field deals in an effort to ensure that together we can have a real impact. -- GrandersonHow real is it that players just do not know how to address issues?Its very real that players dont know how to address the issues because there isnt an entity there to guide us, and if there is, it isnt made known by many of us. -- RollinsIf a player really wants to address an issue, the player will find a way to address the issue. -- Doolittle ' ' '