MLB managers around the country are not happy with San Francisco Giants’ Manager Gabe Kapler’s decision to boycott the national anthem during games.
San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler told reporters of Friday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds that he will no longer stand with his team for the national anthem until he “feels 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,” he told reporters. “That’ll be the step. I don’t expect it to move the needle necessarily. It’s just something I feel strongly enough about to take that step.”
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Saturday that he does not agree with the decision of San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler to protest the national anthem in the wake of a school shooting in Texas that left 21 victims dead.
“I think he’s exactly right to be concerned…with what’s happening in our country,” La Russa said Saturday evening, ESPN reported. “He’s right there. Where I disagree is the flag and the anthem are not appropriate places to try to voice your objections.“
It’s great to see MLB managers like La Russa setting an example for the league, unlike Kapler whose critics are slamming him for the disgusting display and highly inappropriate movement. Fans have voiced their concerns and disgust towards the Giants’ manager warning and reminding him of what happened to NBA and NFL athletes who took a similar approach during the BLM movement.
White Sox manager, Tony La Russo also weighed in and said protesting the national anthem is an insult to the men and women who served and died in the U.S. military to defend it.
“Some of their courage comes from what the flag means to them and when they hear the anthem,” La Russa said before the White Sox ultimately fell to the Cubs 5 to 1. “You need to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem or see the flag. And the cost they paid and their families. And if you truly understand that, I think it’s impossible not to salute the flag and listen to the anthem.”
