On Memorial Day, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler stood for the national anthem before his team took on the Philadelphia Phillies.
The move came after Kapler refused to emerge from the clubhouse for the anthem beginning on Friday saying “I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country.”
Kapler’s protest has come after 21 people were shot and killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX.
Nineteen of the deceased were children.
Following the shooting, the United States government has not passed any legislation on gun violence, which is a response that Kapler says is to slow.
“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 on his blog.
This is not the first time Kapler had protested the national anthem during the season.
To show support for the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, Kapler took a knee during the national anthem but ended it in 2021 after looking for other ways to direct change.
Gabe Kapler Pauses on Memorial Day
Gabe Kapler did say after he paused his protest on Monday, that he’s comfortable protesting on a “day by day,” basis.
“While I believe strongly in the right to protest and the importance of doing so, I also believe strongly in honoring and mourning our country’s servicemen and women who fought and died for that right,” Kapler said on a blog post Monday.
Prior Precedent
Gabe Kapler choosing to not come out for the national anthem is not new in the sports world.
In 2017, citing a protest against racial inequality, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided not to come out for the national anthem before a game against the Chicago Bears.
Steelers left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva, a former Bronze Star Army Ranger, was the lone player to appear for the national anthem while standing right outside the entrance tunnel.
Villanueva later said that he felt “embarrassed…Unfortunately, I threw my teammates under the bus.”
No decision has been made from Gabe Kapler if he will come out for the anthem on Tuesday night.
