From Yahoo.com…
San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler will no longer take the field for the national anthem after the horrific mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that has sparked new debate over gun control and the role of the police in America.
Speaking with reporters before a game against the Cincinnati Reds, Kapler said he would only start coming out for the anthem if he felt “better about the direction of our country.”
“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
Kapler’s comments:
Kapler has protested during the national anthem in the past, taking a knee with four of his players in a 2020 preseason game following the murder of George Floyd.
Earlier in the day, Kapler published a 729-word post titled “Home of the Brave?”on his personal Kaplifestyle blog reacting to the shooting and discussing his own feelings about patriotically standing for the anthem immediately after a moment of silence for the killing of 19 children and two teachers.
Kapler heavily criticized “police officers who had weapons and who receive nearly 40% of the city’s funding” for failing to stop the shooter from killing children for an hour as their parents pleaded for the police to intervene. He also blasted politicians who suggested “locked doors and armed teachers” could solve the problem.
Above all, Kapler expressed frustration with being expected to celebrate a country that has seen little meaningful change after so many mass shootings:
