Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Giants are “having conversations” about whether to play Wednesday’s game amid sports protests across the country following the police shooting Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man in Wisconsin, several times in the back Sunday.
The NBA has canceled its slate of games after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court. The Brewers and Reds will not play their scheduled game. The Giants and Dodgers are supposed to begin play at Oracle Park at 6:45, but Kapler indicated there will be further conversations among the staff and players.
“Some things are bigger than sports, and I don’t think it should require athletes needing to boycott playoff games to remind us Black Lives Matter and that police brutality is unacceptable and that systemic racism needs to be eliminated,” Kapler said.
“What I believe in most is speaking out and taking strong action based on your beliefs.”
Kapler said he has the “utmost respect” for players who are “refusing to be silent.” He did not want to share the details of the conversations within the Giants but wanted “collective action” decided — the organization deciding as a group.
A group of players and coaches met on the field prior to the scheduled game.
Kapler, as well as several Giants players and coaches, has been kneeling during the national anthem and has been vocal about speaking out concerning injustices against minorities. The opposing starting pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, also has been public in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
A day prior, Kapler said the shooting of Blake, who is reportedly paralyzed, reminds that racism and injustice are not going away without action. But he appears to want the group to decide what that action should be Wednesday.
“We’re doing our best to create an environment where players and coaches feel confident standing up for what they believe in,” Kapler said over Zoom. “I’m always going to stand with our players and our staff about what they choose to do collectively.”