Yes, San Francisco Giants Manager, Gabe Kapler is set to sit out the National Anthem yet again. In fact, he is skipping it “going forward“, so he says.

This is not Kapler’s first stint at this routine:

Using his platform once again. Kapler told reporters this ahead go the Giants’/Cincinnati Reds game yesterday:

I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country. 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.”-Gabe Kapler

Kapler expressed his thoughts in a lengthy blog post on his lifestyle site.

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. On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.

My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families.”-Gabe Kapler

Self-congratulatory glorification? By the way, Mr. Kapler. This is the ONLY country that gives you the salaries you and your team command. You didn’t want to call attention to yourself? So, you figured out a shameless way to do this, uh, “going forward”, right? I mean, where was Gabe Kapler in Glendale, Arizona in 2015 where a 17 year-old girl was sexually assaulted and beaten while partying with some ball players? Guess he was concerned about the “direction” things were “going forward” in that situation.

Ah yes, the whole look at me, I am so virtuous, public protest, which accomplishes literally nothing, but gets a bunch of attaboys from like-minded folk.

— Troy Davis (@Davis1970T) May 28, 2022

Yet, some of those who have watched the tragedy of Uvalde unfold these past few days are in agreement with Gabe Kapler.

I was so unsure of Mr Kapler when he was hired. His handling of certain issues made me question him a lot. Well last year he quashed my on field questions, today I know he is a man of integrity. How lucky are we to have him and Mr Kerr in the bay area, on field and off.

— Stonyt (@Tony48552407) May 28, 2022

Such a big man, they say. You know what? Kaplar is voicing his opinion. In a country such as ours, he has a right to do that. He also has a right to not stand for the National Anthem and to protest. He is indeed exercising his rights as an American citizen. We cannot fault him for this. We cannot fault the guy for expressing his thoughts on some things needing to change.

I can think of tons of things that need to change in our country. Current laws protecting criminals, the ways in which we handle mental health, the general ideologies that promote violence and morally confused and sometimes utterly morally bankrupt citizens. The discourse in our nation needs to change. You know what else I’d like to see? Those stupid “THIS IS A GUN-FREE ZONE” signs removed from our school campuses.

There are many more things I’d like to see change in our Nation. Using one’s platform in a gesture to further disrespect and divide our nation is not one of them. It’s old. It’s tired. And it is not doing a damn thing to bring the lives of those innocent children back.

Does Kapler have a right to this expression? Yes. I mean, even Colin Kaepernick had the right as an American to kneel in protest. What these overpaid athletes and coaches do not see is that these “protests” do not unify but further divide. They are all the epitome of self-congratulatory. Want to truly protest for gun reform? Take away armed security detail at sporting events, entertainment awards ceremonies and let these athletes, their coaches and the celebrity elite fend for themselves. Now that, I’d like to see.

The irony of this gesture on Memorial Day weekend should not be lost on any of us. We stand because of those we lost. Those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice both on our soil and in other parts of the world. Standing should unify. Kneeling divides.

The entire Nation should be kneeling for the Anthem now.

— PeggyPleaseGetVaccinated (@peggydumptrump) May 27, 2022

No, Peggy-Please-Get-Vaccinated we shouldn’t. If we kneel for anything it should be in prayer for better leadership because we need it now more than ever.

Photo Credit: Keith Allison/FlickR/via Wikimedia Commons/Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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