Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa said Saturday that he disagrees with San Francisco Giants manager Gabi Kapler’s decision. Protesting the national anthem In the aftermath of a Texas school shooting that left 21 victims.
“I think he’s absolutely right to be concerned… about what’s happening in our country,” La Rosa said Saturday night, ESPN reported. “It’s there. What I don’t agree with is the flag and the national anthem are not proper places to try to express your objections.”
The day before, Kapler said he would skip playing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at a pre-match party “Going On”. He also explained his decision in an opinion piece, saying he “disapproves of the state of this country”.
The White Sox director said the national anthem protest is an insult to the men and women who served and died in the US military to defend it.
“Some of their bravery comes from what the flag means to them and when they hear the anthem,” La Rosa said before the White Sox finally dropped in front of the 5-to-1 Cubs. “You have to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem or see the flag. And the cost they and their families paid. And if I really understand it, I think it is impossible not to salute the flag and listen to the national anthem.”
In an opinion piece, Kapler said he received the national anthem and the American flag should have been revered, but he doesn’t think it represents the current state of America.
“When I was my age as the Ovaldi kids, my father taught me to defend the allegiance when I thought my country represented its people well or to protest and stay seated when it didn’t,” Kapler wrote. “I don’t think he represents us well now.”
Kapler’s decision received mixed reactions as others supported the protest.
Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward called the protest “courageous”.
“I think we’re all disappointed, especially in this country,” Woodward was quoted as saying by ESPN. “Nobody is happy. It’s not about which side you are. All we have to do is evolve as a society. … I won’t really comment either way about whether or not I’m going to do what he did.”
The protest came after an 18-year-old suspected gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers in Ovaldi, Texas, on Tuesday with pistols he bought days after his birthday.
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