Baseball Anthem Protest Did Not Sink the Republic
By Jon Friedman, June 20, 2022
In May, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler announced his intention not to honor the national anthem, which is traditionally the heartwarming start of a Major League Baseball game and an opportunity for players and fans alike to show respect for the flag. Kapler was moved by such heinous gun-violence as the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which came on the heels of the supermarket massacre in Buffalo.
“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 lamented.
Kapler was called out by some media because of the timing of his declaration, which came three days after the Uvalde shooting, at the start of Memorial Day weekend. “So to remove himself from that ‘self-congratulatory glorification,’ he decided to sidestep the national anthem altogether and remain in the locker room until the patriotic pre-game ritual was over,” Fox News’ website reported. In response to the criticism, Kapler postponed his protest until after that national holiday.
Kapler’s decision underscored his desire to follow his principles. Many Americans applauded him for standing up for his beliefs.
Predictably, however, many pundits on the Right recoiled in horror. They declared that Kapler, a well-regarded major-league skipper who manages one of baseball’s best teams, would damage the American way of life and show blatant disrespect for the United States. His fellow MLB manager, Chicago White Sox helmer Tony LaRussa, joined in and said Kapler’s protest was “not appropriate.”
How Far We Have Come
Well, well, well. What do you know? Weeks later, nothing bad has happened. The Republic didn’t crumble. After an initial flurry of news bulletins, the world yawned at Kapler.
This shows how far we have come as a society. Only a few years ago, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was essentially ostracized from the NFL for following his conscience and taking a knee to protest police brutality and social injustice. The powers that be denied any kind of collusion, but it was clear that they made the call to keep Kaepernick out of the huddle.
Even though he had led the 49ers to the 2013 Super Bowl, Kaepernick found himself as a man without a league. Any dedicated football fan would shake his or her head over the fact that Kaepernick couldn’t get a job – even as a back-up – while many NFL teams put vastly inferior quarterbacks on the field.
The world has come full circle, it is nice to report. Kaepernick recently got a tryout to play quarterback with the Las Vegas Raiders, formerly of Oakland. And you know what? Whether Kaepernick eventually earns a position in the NFL, he has won a personal Super Bowl. The Raiders’ overture followed a clamor for Kaepernick to be given a tryout. In the days after he auditioned for the Raiders, the world shrugged, as it did with Kapler.
Busy People in a Serious World
Maybe Kapler will be asked to throw out the first pitch at the World Series (assuming his Giants aren’t playing in it). Perhaps Kaepernick will toss the coin at the next Super Bowl. Okay, okay, I know. Grandiose gestures can be misinterpreted and lead to potentially violent scenes.
One outcome seems clear, however. The Right-wing media, which seeks to use popular culture to divide the nation, fell on its face in its attempt to make us think that Kapler was another version of Kaepernick. It failed, once again, to woo support from uncommitted voters by continuing to divide the country.
American are busy, with concerns about new Covid strains, soaring gas prices, record-breaking inflation, the war in Ukraine and more. The world has morphed into a serious, anxiety-provoking place. Pop culture haters need not apply.
Jon Friedman wrote Jon Friedman’s Media Web column at MarketWatch.com for more than 13 years. He now teaches college in New York State.
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Many pundits on the Right recoiled in horror that San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler would not to honor the national anthem. They declared that Kapler would damage the American way of life and show blatant disrespect for the United States.
