The Russo-Ukrainian War Thread (FKA Political Thread)

[Doom]

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler 'not okay with the state of this country' in wake of Uvalde shooting​

ESPN

As details of the tragic elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, continue to unfold, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler on Friday wrote that he is "not okay with the state of this country" and that he "felt like a coward" for not protesting "the lack of delivery on the promise of what our national anthem represents."

Kapler, in a blog post published Friday on his lifestyle brand website, said he was disappointed in himself for not making some sort of protest during the playing of the national anthem on Wednesday.

An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. In Buffalo, 10 people were killed on May 14 when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire in a supermarket. Both gunmen were using AR-15-style assault rifles.

"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. I don't believe it is representing us well right now," Kapler wrote.

"... Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I'm participating in a self congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place. On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.

Kapler said he wanted to make some sort of gesture, but he said he was conscious that it would be misunderstood as an act meant to be offensive "to the military, to veterans, to themselves."

"My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn't listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn't want to call attention to myself. I didn't want to take away from the victims or their families.

"... But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn't let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you're dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this."

Kapler is the latest example of how several notable sports figures -- including Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr -- have used their platforms over the past few days to plead for action to combat gun violence.

On Thursday, the social media teams for the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees collaborated in an effort to raise awareness about gun violence in the United States. Throughout the game, the teams posted identical facts -- as well as attributing where they got them -- in concert with each other to their combined 4.25 million followers on Twitter.

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Shocking, Jake Shields doesn't understand nuance. Pretty typical for a former MMA Fighter.

 

[Hidden Blaze]

Learning that schools have "active shooter" drills just shows how messed up it is.

Yeah, no kid should have to be at school and practice what to do if someone decides to shoot it up. Hell no parent should have to send their kids to school and wonder if they will even come home that day. I’m to the point if I ever have kids, I truly wanna just home school them.

 

[Deezy]

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler 'not okay with the state of this country' in wake of Uvalde shooting​

Want to really do something? Pull your team from playing games and try get other owners to follow suit.

 

[Deezy]

Sports owners would get the government to actually do legislation over thousands of people on the streets screaming about change.....money matters....sports have ushered in more change than anything else. irl

 

[Canadian Dragon]

Shocking, Jake Shields doesn't understand nuance. Pretty typical for a former MMA Fighter.

and if you're getting dunked on by Will Ospreay of all wrestler, man you suck a lot. this response was pretty phenomenal as well:

 

[Deezy]

Holy shit, if this is true Greg Abbott is an absolutely toxic fucking ghoul.

Uhhh......the post says it's "anything but fiction".

 

[Bobby Barrows]

and if you're getting dunked on by Will Ospreay of all wrestler, man you suck a lot. this response was pretty phenomenal as well:

 

[Bobby Barrows]

 

[Deezy]

So he's accomplished nothing

 

[Bobby Barrows]

 

[Canadian Dragon]

man hit him with the 10-7 round line

RING THE BELL!!!!

 

[Bobby Barrows]

Pretty unrelated, but we're at the home stretch. Amber Heard is gonna lose this case real bad.

 

[Canadian Dragon]

her dog stepped on a bee though

 

[Bobby Barrows]

her dog stepped on a bee though

Oh well I guess he's guilty then.