MLB managers discuss Gabe Kapler national anthem protest after Uvalde shooting

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Several MLB managers are weighing in on the decision by San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler to protest the national anthem following last week's school shooting in Texas.

On Friday, Kapler said he will no longer be attending the playing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," before games, which he clarified in an op-ed, saying he is "not okay with the state of this country."

"When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn’t," Kapler wrote. "I don’t believe it is representing us well right now."

Manager Gabe Kapler #19 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout during the game Atlanta Braves at Oracle Park on September 19, 2021 in San Francisco. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

The decision drew a strong response from White Sox manager Tony La Russa who stated that protesting the anthem was an insult to the men and women who died and served in the U.S. military. 

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"You need to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem or see the flag. And the cost they paid and their families. And if you truly understand that, I think it’s impossible not to salute the flag and listen to the anthem," La Russa said. 

But other managers in the league are apparently in Kapler's corner over the protest, which the manager announced after the elementary school shooting left at least 19 students and two adults dead. 

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he was proud of Kapler, his former teammate, for being vocal.

"He’