MLB manager sets new policy on standing for national anthem

In San Francisco, of all places, the new manager of the hometown Major League Baseball team is requiring players to stand for the national anthem before spring training games.

Giants manager Bob Melvin told The Athletic that his policy is about showing opponents that his players are ready to play.

“It’s all about the perception that we’re out there ready to play,” he told the sports outlet. “That’s it. You want your team ready to play, and I want the other team to notice it, too. It’s really as simple as that.”

It remains to be seen if Melvin’s rule carries into the regular season, but he insists that it has nothing to do with politics.

“Look, we’re a new team here, we got some good players here,” the manager said, according to 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.”

“It has nothing to do with whatever happened in the past or whatever, it’s just something I embrace,” Melvin added.

Keep in mind, San Francisco is where disrespect for the national anthem all began. Colin Kaepernick, a left-wing ideologue who played for the NFL’s 49ers, began kneeling during the national anthem in Sept. 2016 to protest alleged police brutality and so-called racial oppression — while playing under a $114,000,000 contract.

Melvin’s predecessor, former Giants manager Gabe Kapler, took political wokeness to another level.

Kapler refused even to take the field when the national anthem was played in the wake of the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel like there’s — until I feel better about the direction of our country,” he said at the time.

There was “no wrong answer” for how his players responded to the anthem, according to The Athletic.

On a positive note, the players may be growing tired of being used as pawns by those looking to divide America and are more interested in playing the game.

“I think it sets the example of hey, we’re in this together,” Giants outfielder Austin Slater told The Athletic. “Whether you’re not playing that day or you’re a starting pitcher who threw yesterday, you’re still out there, on time, ready to be a good teammate.”

“Once the anthem starts, we’re locked in on the game as a unit,” he added. “There’s an inherent respect level, and not only to the older guys but to your entire team. You’re there to be supportive. The other big part and this might be the biggest, is you’re staying and watching the game and learning from the game. I think that’s important.”

Tom Tillison

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