Terrible news: Bob Melvin, manager of the San Francisco Giants, has instituted a new rule mandating that every member of the team should…
SAN FRANCISCO: Bob Melvin, manager of the San Francisco Giants, has instituted a new rule mandating that every member of the team stand during the playing of the national anthem.
Everyone who works in the Giants dugout, including the coaches, trainers, bat boys, and players, is subject to the new regulation.
Following the catastrophic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas in 2022, Gabe Kapler, the team’s former captain, decided to boycott the national anthem in a political protest against the nation’s gun restrictions. Melvin’s new rule signified a significant change from Kapler’s actions.
Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police in 2020, Kapler showed his support for the Black Lives Matter movement by kneeling in honor of the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Melvin is adamant that politics has no bearing on his ruling. Instead, he explained that it was a result of the messages he wished to spread regarding the team’s mentality before a game.
In an interview with The Athletic, the Giants manager stated, “It’s all about the perception that we’re out there ready to play.” He continued, “You want your team ready to play, and I want the other team to notice it, too.” That’s really all there is to it.”
This has been a long-standing strategy of the three-time manager of the year and native of the Bay Area, who managed the Oakland A’s and San Diego Padres. Additionally, he stated that the new policy does not condemn the methods used by others to address the
