Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Overnight, the Giants have become the focus of both admiration and rage.
In the aftermath of several players and coaches, including manager Gabe Kapler, taking a knee during the national anthem Monday, the polarized masses descended on San Francisco, many saluting individuals who wanted to shine a light on systemic racism and police brutality against minorities, while the detractors shouted about disrespecting the flag, a tired attack that has never held up to scrutiny.
“Looking forward to live sports,” President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, “but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!”
The game is just beginning for the Giants, who won their first exhibition game but will be spotlighted much more for how they act in the minutes before game time. Along with Kapler, hitting coach Justin Viele, first-base coach Antoan Richardson and outfielders Jaylin Davis, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Slater were spotted kneeling in protest.
Richardson and Davis are Black, the others white. Davis, who is from North Carolina, has spoken out about his own experiences with racism in a post he composed for the Giants’ website following the viral death of George Floyd in police custody and the ensuing country-wide reckoning.
Davis knew how critics would try to spin his protest of racism into a bad-faith attack on the troops and released a statement explaining why he knelt.
“I want to first come out and say that the decision I made to take a knee last night has nothing to do with how I feel about the flag or the people that are serving and have served our country (such as both of my grandfathers),” the 26-year-old said. “I am truly grateful for the sacrifices that each and every one of you have made for our country. On the other hand I vowed to use my platform to speak up for what I believe in and I plan on doing that. I believe the only way anything is going to change is by keeping the conversation going about racial injustice and not letting it get pushed to the side. I’m very grateful to be a part of an organization that supports their players for expressing what they believe in and I am proud to be a Giant!”
Kapler said each game will be a decision for each individual regarding how they handle the anthem. Tuesday’s matchup with the A’s at Oracle Park will be their next choice.
