Gabe Kapler Plans On Protesting National Anthem

Famous San Francisco athletes seem to like protesting against the national anthem. 

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler is taking a page out of Colin Kaepernick’s book and is using the national anthem as a way to protest until he feels that America is doing better as a country in the wake of the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde, TX.

Kapler posted a lengthy entry to his blog where he blamed America’s citizens for being able to buy guns despite the fact our Constitution permits the possession of firearms as self-defense. Kapler also blamed politicians for failing to do enough to address the problem of mass shootings.

“… we thoughtlessly link our moment of silence and grief with the equally thoughtless display of celebration for a country that refuses to take up the concept of controlling the sale of weapons used nearly exclusively for the mass slaughter of human beings. We have our moment (over and over), and then we move on without demanding real change from the people we empower to make these changes,” Kapler wrote. 

Incorrectly, he also stated that mass shootings are only a problem in the United States and that the standing for our national anthem celebrates the flaws within the country.

“Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I’m participating in a self congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place,” Kapler said.

Kapler’s reasoning for not participating in the anthem is almost exactly the same as Kaepernick’s, only the cause is different. 

Related: WH: Biden ‘Looking At Other Executive Actions’ On Gun Control

Kaepernick stated that he would not stand for pride to fly a flag in support of a country which oppresses people of color and black people. This was in an interview in 2016 with NFL Media. “To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way.”

The fatal flaw in Kapler (and Kaepernick’s) reasoning is that he associates very real imperfections within a country with an excuse to not participate in one of the few things that unites Americans.

America is not without its flaws. We have known this since 1783 when we gained our independence. But our national anthem is one of the few instances where regardless of who we are or what walk of life we come from, we all generally want what’s best for our country. Singing it is not a sign that we approve of what needs to be fixed, it’s the recognition that we have an opportunity to be united in a time when there is so little unity.

Although Kapler participated in the Memorial Day anthem, he intends to carry on his stunt over the next few days and weeks. The more he does so, the more he ’ll be sowing seeds of disunity.