The San Francisco Giants’ new manager Bob Melvin is implementing a policy that will require everyone in the dugout to stand for the U.S. national anthem, USA Today reported.
In sharp contrast to his predecessor Gabe Kapler, who stopped appearing on the field for the anthem after the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, per USA Today. Additionally, Kapler kneeled during the anthem in the wake of the George Floyd riots, the outlet also reported.
“It has nothing to do with whatever happened in the past or whatever, it’s just something I embrace,” Melvin told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Giants manager Bob Melvin implements national anthem policy for his new team https://t.co/XyJY8m81P4
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 4, 2024
Melvin insisted the decision wasn’t political, but rather, it’s about presenting a united front.
“Look, we’re a new team here, we got some good players here,” Melvin told USA Today. “It’s more about letting the other side know that we’re ready to play. I want guys out here ready to go. There’s a personality to that.”
Melvin also noted that he implemented the same rule in his previous managerial stints in San Diego and Oakland, per USA Today. (RELATED: Crybaby MLB Ace Mad Beefy Slugger Took His Time On A Home Run Trot … Maybe Don’t Give Up Home Runs, Bud)
“You want your team ready to play and I want the other team to notice it, too,” Melvin claimed, according to the outlet. “It’s as simple as that. They’re embracing it.”
I love this. Baseball is our national past time. It’s so quintessentially American. It just doesn’t seem right to have any anti-patriotic behavior occurring on the baseball diamond. Taking that decision out of your players’ hands makes it simple and easy for everybody to be on the same page.
Plus I love that he noted this isn’t about politics. Patriotism isn’t political. People from both sides of the ideological spectrum can and should love and appreciate their country. I know I do.