MLB managers support Kapler’s anthem protest in wake of mass shootings

Several of Gabe Kapler’s fellow managers are offering their support for his decision to avoid the field during the national anthem as a protest following the recent school shooting in Texas.

Kapler, manager of the San Francisco Giants, said on Friday he doesn’t plan to be on the field for the anthem “until I feel better about the direction of our country. I don’t expect it to move the needle necessarily. It’s just something that I feel strongly enough about to take that step.”

One day after Kapler’s comments, no uniformed Giants were on the field for the anthem before the team’s 3-2 loss to the Reds.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. The attack occurred just 10 days after a gunman espousing racist hatred killed 10 Black people at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.

Texas Rangers manager Chris Woodward said Kapler’s action was “brave.”

“I think we’re all frustrated, especially in this country,” Woodward said. “Nobody’s happy. It’s not about which side you’re on. It’s just we’ve got to get better as a society. I’m not going to really make comment either way on whether I would or wouldn’t do what he did.”

Boston Red Sox manger Alex Cora said Kapler, his former teammate during their playing days, has been vocal about several subjects and “for that, I’m proud of him. He’s a good friend of mine and the kind of guy I respect from afar for what he’s doing, and if this is what he’s doing, good for him. I understand his reasons. He was very open about it and I know there’s a lot of people that are going to support him.”

New York Mets veteran manager Buck Showalter also said he respected “how Gabe feels and the way he’s going about it.” Asked about Kapler,