San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler, like the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays last night, is not going to let this week go by without making a statement about gun violence in the United States.
Not only did Kapler write about the issue today, extensively, he also stated that he will no longer come out for the national anthem played at ballparks before the game:
“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country” – Gabe Kapler pic.twitter.com/J1MdlVL3XI
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) May 27, 2022
And what Kapler wrote today:
We’re not the land of the free nor the home of the brave right now. https://t.co/XilHsz4s0W
— gabe kapler (@gabekapler) May 27, 2022
Among his many thoughts, and the explanation on why he will not participate in the national anthem:
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. 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.
But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. 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.