Giants manager Gabe Kapler announced earlier this week that he won’t stand on the field for the playing of the national anthem until he feels better about the direction America is heading.
“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,” Kapler wrote in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Kapler’s decision, unsurprisingly, ignited discourse from across the political spectrum, both in and outside of the sports world.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who made an impassioned plea in favor of gun control legislation, said he supports Kapler’s “peaceful protest — a staple of the country’s First Amendment.
“I think it’s great that he’s making his own statement and I think everyone has to do it in their own way, Kerr said. “That’s the way Gabe chose to do it and I applaud him for it.”
Not every manager in MLB is as open to Kapler’s stance as Kerr.
White Sox manager Tony La Russa told reporters that while America faces problems that must be addressed, he disagrees with Kapler’s mode of protest.
“Where I disagree is that the flag and the anthem are not appropriate places to try to voice your objection,” La Russa, 77, said prior to the White Sox game against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. “I think you go directly to what the cause that really bothers you about the direction of the country is.”
Added La Russa: “So to me, it isn’t the flag and the anthem. I think it makes more sense to figure out which of those issues and speak about the ones he didn’t like and what he will do about it.”
Dave Roberts, manager of Giants rival Los Angeles Dodgers, is on Kapler’s side. The two recently shot a promotional video together for the Anti-Defamation League denouncing Asian American and Pacific Islander hate.
Roberts is far from alone in his support. Red Sox skipper Alex Cora said he’s “proud” of his former teammate from Boston. Rangers manager Chris Woodward called Kapler’s protest “brave.”
In New York, Mets manager Buck Showalter also voiced his support for Kapler.
“I respect everybody’s views on stuff,” Showalter said this weekend. “I wish we were all more open-minded to everybody’s views and their opinion. So those type of things, I just respect your right to have whatever. They all have opinions. I’m very attracted to people who listen and sometimes have their own opinion from other environments, things that they’ve been exposed to.”
“I respect how Gabe feels and the way he’s going about it.”