San Fransisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler temporarily paused his national anthem protest for Memorial Day this week. Kapler wrote on his blog Monday about the importance of Memorial Day and his decision to stand “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. Those who serve in our military, and especially those who have paid the ultimate price for our rights and freedoms, deserve that acknowledgment and respect, and I am honored to stand on the line today to show mine.”
Kapler had been staying in the team’s locker room during the playing of the national anthem as a direct protest of the mass shootings that have occurred over the past few weeks.
“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country,” Kapler wrote. “I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this.”
His protest meet with backlash from both baseball fans and figures around the league. Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa has taken issue with Kapler’s protests calling them “inappropriate.” In a statement prior to the White Sox-Cubs matchup, La Russa said, “there’s a lot of problems in this country that need to be addressed. Where I disagree is that the flag and the anthem are not appropriate places to try to voice your objection.”
Kapler has not decided on whether or not he will resume his protest, telling reporters, “The days move fast, we’re going to come out and talk about Giants and Phillies today and we’ll get into the game and then we’ll spend some time trying to get away from the game. Then the game starts the next day. I want to have my thoughts perfectly formulated. I will formulate them and I will share them. I just don’t have them right now.”
