When the national anthem is playing, the San Francisco Giants better be on the field.
Bob Melvin, the team’s new skipper, told USA Today’s Bob Knightengale that a new policy will go into effect this season and every person in the dugout will be required to stand on the field when the “Star Spangled Banner” plays.
It’s a drastic change from what the Giants used to do when Gabe Kapler was in charge, but Melvin claimed that the decision had nothing to do with politics.
“Look, we’re a new team here, we got some good players here,’’ Melvin told the outlet.”It’s more about letting the other side know that we’re ready to play. I want guys out here ready to go. There’s a personality to that.
“It has nothing to do with whatever happened in the past or whatever, it’s just something I embrace.”
Melvin said that this was something he had done in other places he’s managed, including Oakland and San Diego, and that it was part of bringing a sense that everyone is in this together,
“You want your team ready to play and I want the other team to notice it, too,’’ Melvin said. “It’s as simple as that. They’re embracing it.”
But there will still be some who may view the change as some sort of political statement since Kapler’s decision to not participate in the anthem made headlines.
The former manager had stopped going on the field for the anthem in 2022 after the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country,” Kapler told reporters at the time about his decision.
Kapler had also kneeled during the anthem in 2020 to protest the killing of George Floyd.