Oakland Athletics outfielders Khris Davis and Tony Kemp joined the growing roster of Major League Baseball players to show their support for Black Lives Matter and other causes with the goal of drawing attention to racial and social injustices in our society.
Although unlike previous MLB shows, Davis and Kemp did not kneel before or during the national anthem. Instead, they raised their fists in a show of support and solidarity as the anthem played at the Oakland Coliseum.
Davis and Kemp, both black, were the only two A players to protest during the national anthem. Across the field, several Los Angeles Angels players, including shortstop All-Star Andrelton Simmons, knelt during the anthem.
Six Mariners players raise their fists
In another show of solidarity, Kyle Lewis, JP Crawford, Shed Long Jr., Mallex Smith, Dee Gordon, and Justus Sheffield of the Seattle Mariners stood side by side and raised their fists during the national anthem in Houston.
Tim Anderson and José Abreu were among the kneeling White Sox players. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox made a strong statement on opening day. Before the team’s first game of the season, six players, including batting champion Tim Anderson and All-Star Lucas Giolito, knelt during the national anthem.
They were joined by José Abreu, Edwin Encarnación, Eloy Jiménez and Luis Robert. Two coaches, Joe McEwing and Daryl Boston, also knelt.
White Sox Tim Anderson, José Abreu, Edwin Encarnación, Eloy Jiménez, Luis Robert, Lucas Giolito, and coaches Joe McEwing and Daryl Boston knelt during the anthem. Manager Rick Renteria and Yoan Moncada had their hands on Anderson’s shoulders.
– Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) July 25, 2020
Both Anderson and Giolito have expressed their support for Black Lives Matter. Giolito released a statement in May that said, “It is time to do better.” Giolito also chased a fanatic who disagreed with Giolito’s message. Anderson has stated that he has no intention of sticking to sports, as racial injustice and police brutality are “bigger than baseball.”
White Sox isn’t the only team kneeling
While the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals knelt for a manifestation of racial injustice on opening night, neither player on either team remained kneeling during the national anthem. At the end of the game, the Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts knelt down during the national anthem. Betts joined four members of the San Francisco Giants, including manager Gabe Kapler. Two Tampa Bay Rays coaches, Ozzie Timmons and Rodney Linares, also knelt.
These are some of the sites for Friday’s entire league demonstrations.
