{"id":679636,"date":"2022-05-31T19:43:14","date_gmt":"2022-05-31T19:43:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/radiofree.asia\/?guid=1aa2a68a18d910bbc91232de0ae96bff"},"modified":"2022-05-31T19:43:14","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T19:43:14","slug":"pro-athletes-can-amplify-social-justice-movements-if-they-follow-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2022\/05\/31\/pro-athletes-can-amplify-social-justice-movements-if-they-follow-through\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro Athletes Can Amplify Social Justice Movements \u2014 If They Follow Through"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is the professional responsibility of journalists to highlight any conflict or bias that could tilt their objectivity. You see it in The Washington Post<\/em> whenever there\u2019s a story about Jeff Bezos; somewhere in the body of the piece there is a parenthetical (\u201che\u2019s my boss, owns this paper\u201d) to inoculate the writer against accusations that they\u2019re trying to get away with something. In that spirit, let me be as plain as I can be: My bias is that I love Gabe Kapler.<\/p>\n

My love affair with Kapler began when he was traded to my beloved Red Sox midseason in 2004 to shore up the defense. He hit nearly .300 and led the team in outfield assists thanks to the cannon dangling from his shoulder\u2026 and on October 27, on a night the moon turned red, Kapler was one of nine players on the field when the Red Sox won<\/a> the World Series for the first time in 86 years.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t follow baseball, though, Kapler’s name may have only recently crossed your screen. Today, he\u2019s the San Francisco Giants manager who announced that he will be shunning the national anthem until something is done about the gun carnage in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Kapler informed the media of his intentions during a dugout press gaggle on Friday, where he told<\/a> reporters, \u201cI don\u2019t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward… until I feel better about the direction of our country. That\u2019ll be the step. I don\u2019t expect it to move the needle necessarily. It\u2019s just something that I feel strongly enough about to take that step.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kapler channeled his feelings into an evocative blog post<\/a> later that day:<\/p>\n

\n

Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I\u2019m 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.<\/p>\n

My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn\u2019t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn\u2019t want to call attention to myself. I didn\u2019t 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\u2019t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.<\/p>\n

But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn\u2019t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you\u2019re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Kapler\u2019s stand wobbled almost immediately<\/a>, however, when confronted with the monolithic patriotism of Memorial Day. White Sox manager and baseball Ent Tony La Russa had already criticized Kapler\u2019s intentions with the same boilerplate militaristic rah-rah NFL players have been hearing since Colin Kaepernick took a knee<\/a>. \u201cI would never not stand up for the anthem or the flag,\u201d said<\/a> La Russa. \u201cMaybe just because I’m older, and I’ve been around veterans more than the average person. You need to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem, or they see the flag and the cost they paid and their families paid.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Memorial Day, Kapler posted<\/a> a new blog regarding the day\u2019s game: \u201cToday, I\u2019ll be standing for the anthem. 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\u2019s service men and women who fought and died for that right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kapler and the Giants are playing Philly tonight; we shall see where he is when the anthem begins. I reserve final judgment on this until then, but I do confess to disappointment. Kapler probably should have looked at the calendar if Memorial Day was a concern. If this was just some long-weekend grandstanding, I will be pretty grossed out\u2026 but I hope Kapler will follow through on his word, now that we have passed the most flag-happy day of the year this side of the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n