Several SF Giants Kneel During National Anthem; Will The Dodgers Follow Suit?

Last night, San Franciso Giants manager Gabe Kapler along with several players and coaches kneeled during the Star Spangled Banner prior to an exhibition game against the Oakland A's at the Oakland Coliseum.

Joining Kapler were outfielders Austin Slater, Jaylin Davis and Mike Yastrzemski (grandson of Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski) along with first base coach Antoan Richardson and hitting coach Justin Viele.

The display prompted the Twitter hashtag #BoycottMLB. One of the more interesting tweets was this one from @Blue_Texas2020:

So baseball takes a knee and the Magas want to #BoycottMLB What do these people have left to watch, bowling?

I had to laugh. Because I was watching the PBA on FS1 last night and watch it every chance I get. I watch it because I have developed a big passion for bowling over the past year and also because it is a politics free zone. We are all too aware of the fact there is sickness, poverty and injustice in this country. We do not need to be reminded of it every minute of the day. Aside from mentions of masks, social distancing and raising money for COVID-19 victims, the PBA telecasts are all about bowling. 

As it stands now most MLB announcers don't pay attention to the game and the kneeling before the anthem won't help matters.

Now that the Giants have done this I wonder if it will be long before the Dodgers follow suit. If they do then I fear they will lose both Vin Scully and Rick Monday. Scully, who broadcasted Dodgers games from 1950 to 2016, said in 2017 he would never watch another NFL game after Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players began kneeling during the Star Spangled Banner. If the Dodgers were to follow suit then I'm sure Scully would, with a broken heart, part ways with the Dodgers and MLB. 

Monday, who is a former Dodgers player and current broadcaster, became a Dodger fan favorite as a member of the Chicago Cubs when he prevented an American flag from burned at Dodger Stadium on April 25, 1976. Her is the video below narrated by (who else?) Vin Scully.

If the Dodgers were to kneel I suspect it would be a bridge too far for Monday. And for what? I honestly don't see what kneeling before the anthem accomplishes other than drawing attention to one's own supposed virtue while alienating your dwindling audience. 

This isn't to say the Giants, Dodgers and any other MLB team cannot support Black Lives Matter if they wish. I think it is something that is better done off the field as it distracts from the reason why we watch what's going on the field in the first place.