Giants’ Gabe Kapler to sit out national anthem “until I feel better about the direction of our country”

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KION-TV)-- San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler announced on his health and lifestyle blog that he will no longer participate in the national anthem during games.

Kapler said, "until I feel better about the direction of our country" he will not participate in the national anthem.

Kapler is feeling dismayed after the Uvalde, elementary school massacre that killed 19 children and two teachers this week.

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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. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.

But 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.

Gabe Kapler