Oakland, California – San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler plans to use his position to speak out against racial injustice and provide a voice for those who are not heard. Kapler and several of his players knelt during the national anthem prior to their 6-2 exhibition victory against the Oakland Athletics.
The game also featured the first coach in MLB history, Alyssa Nakken, at first base for the Giants.
President Trump expressed his displeasure on Tuesday morning, tweeting: “I look forward to practicing live sports, but every time I witness a kneeling player during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our country and our flag, the game is over for me! “
Kapler shared his plans when he addressed the team early Monday and said they would all be supported by the Giants no matter what they decided to do.
“I wanted them to know that I was not satisfied with the way our country has handled police brutality and I said I wanted to amplify their voices and I also wanted to amplify the voice of the black community and the marginalized communities, “said Kapler.” So I told them that I wanted to use my platform to demonstrate my dissatisfaction with the way we have dealt with racism in our country. I wanted to show my dissatisfaction with our clear systemic racism in our country and I wanted them to know that they had to make their own decisions and that we would respect and support those decisions. I wanted them to feel safe talking. “
Ben Margot / AP
Right fielder Jaylin Davis, who is African American, and first base coach Antoan Richardson also knelt when shortstop Brandon Crawford stepped in between them with a hand on each of their shoulders. Davis put his right hand over his heart, while Richardson, who is black and from the Bahamas, clasped his hands in front of him.
There was a lot of discussion about each person’s choice, and Kapler said some of the Giants communicated with other organizations. Kapler said the Giants will continue to have such important discussions together as a team and “will make them part of our clubhouse structure.”
“We have had a lot of conversations about the anthem over the past 72 hours and when I say yes, I mean our coaching staff and our players,” said Kapler. “We connected with small groups of players, we connected with players individually and we had meaningful conversations on this topic.”
It was on the same field that former Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell in 2017 became the first major player to kneel for the anthem.
In San Diego, Angels reliever Keynan Middleton knelt and raised his right fist during the national anthem before the team’s 1-0 victory over the Padres.
Angels manager Joe Maddon said Middleton told him ahead of time that he wanted to kneel, and that the team “fully supported” the decision. “I am very proud that he defended his beliefs tonight. I really am,” said Maddon. “It is not easy to do that, a young man like him is the only one who does that.”
Kapler, beginning his first season managing the Giants after two disappointing years guiding the Phillies, did not say with certainty how often he would kneel, except that “we are going to have 60 opportunities in the regular season to make the same decision that we made. today, whether it’s to stand up or kneel down or do something different. Right now is another chance tomorrow night. “
Kapler has been outspoken about social injustice and racial issues and the roles of athletes to help drive positive change.
“They felt strong about it and they got down on their knees,” said Mike A Fiers pitcher.
Kapler made several posts in support of Black Lives Matter on Instagram last month, CBS Sports notes.
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to protest racial inequality and minority police mistreatment. He was criticized for years, but public sentiment has changed since George Floyd’s death in May.
Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck while Floyd was handcuffed and said he couldn’t breathe.
Also Monday, Alyssa Nakken, the first woman in baseball on a major league team, had a chance to train first base for San Francisco.
“Congratulations on making history!” Hunter Pence posted on Twitter shortly after the final departure.
Fox Sports, among others, also tweeted about it:
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