San Francisco Giants coach Gabe Kepler said on Friday he would refuse to sing the national anthem in protest of the country’s political orientation following a school shooting in Texas this week.
“I don’t intend to sing the anthem until I feel better about the direction of our country,” Kopler said before the series began in Cincinnati. “I don’t expect the needle to necessarily move. That’s why I feel strong enough to take this step.”
Koppler said he needs more time to consider specific actions he can take to prevent other tragedies, such as stricter gun control laws.
Kepler said that on the day of the shooting at Robbie Elementary School in Uvald, Texas, “I knew I wasn’t in the best place mentally and I knew it had to do with some hypocrisy about the national anthem and what it was like. It coincided with the moment of silence and the fact that the two things didn’t mix well, but I couldn’t understand it in real time and it took me a few days to get all my thoughts together.”
There were only seven giants on the field – two coaches facing Dugout, four players on left field and an athletics coach alongside them – when the “Star Banner” was played in front of Koppler and Reds coach David Bell, they are switching personnel . Cards. The match started after a delay of 2 hours and 8 minutes of rain.
Previously, Kepler used his personal blog about the deaths of 19 children and two teachers in Wawald.
In a post titled “House of the Brave,” Koppler wrote: “We elect our politicians to represent our interests. Immediately after this shooting we were told that we needed locked doors and armed teachers. Give us thoughts and prayers. They told us it could have been worse and that we just needed love.
“But we are not given courage and we are not free. “We are not free when politicians decide that lobbyists and the gun industry are more important than our children’s freedom to go to school without bulletproof vests and active firearms drills.”
Koppler continued: “Every time I put my hand on my heart and take off my hat, I participate in the self-congratulations of the only country where these mass shootings take place. On Wednesday I went to the field listening to the testimony, while we paid tribute to the victims in Uvalde. I turned my head. I got up for the national anthem. Metallica played City Connect guitars. my brain said, dropping to its knees; My body wasn’t listening. I wanted to go back inside; I froze in place. I felt like a coward. He didn’t want to get my attention. I didn’t want to take the victims and their families with me. …
“But I’m not doing well in this country. I wish my discomfort wouldn’t leave me with my integrity. I wish I could show what I learned from my father that when you are displeased with your country, show it through protest.”
Koppler has protested during hymns in the past. In July 2020, just before the start of the virus-reduced 60-game season, Koppler joined oddball Jalen Davis in taking a knee before the exhibition game against the Auckland Athletics. Davis was making statements about the racial and social issues facing the country.
Compatriots Mike Jastrzemski and Austin Slater also chose to kneel. So did first base coach Antoine Richardson, while Shorty Brandon Crawford stood between Davis and Richardson, hands on each man’s shoulders.
Kepler’s latest comments came after the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Flight used their social media accounts during a team game to spread information about how gun violence affects Americans.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
