San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters on Friday that he will protest the national anthem before games until he feels better about the “direction of our country.”
Kapler’s comments to the press come shortly after publishing a blog on his website condmening the police and politicians in the wake of Tuesday’s shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The mass shooting left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Gabe Kapler writes essay on Uvalde shooting
“Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I’m participating in a self congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place,” Kapler wrote. “On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.
“My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.”
Kapler wrote about his father teaching him from a young age that one must protest the pledge of allegiance by sitting down when the state of the country is not right. The Giants manager finished his essay by encouraging others to protest, if it truly is “the home of the brave.”
“But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity,” Kapler wrote. “I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this.”
Marca
