San Francisco is perhaps the last place in America where patriots would expect to see a mandate to stand during the national anthem. And yet, that’s exactly what has been ordered by the Giants’ new manager.
Bob Melvin, who took over the team in October of 2023, told USA Today that the new clubhouse rules require all players to stand for the anthem at the start of each game.
“Look, we’re a new team here, we got some good players here,’’ Melvin told the outIet.”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.”
The change is stark compared to the policies of former manager Gabe Kapler, who himself kneeled during the anthem and was the first major league coach to do so. After the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas in 2022, Kapler stopped taking the field before each game. He had also kneeled previously after the 2020 death of George Floyd.
“I don’t plan on coming out for the anthem going forward until I feel better about the direction of our country,” Kapler said about his decision.
“It has nothing to do with whatever happened in the past or whatever, it’s just something I embrace,” Melvin added.
Whether at his previous home in Oakland or elsewhere, Melvin said the esprit de corp that comes with standing for the nation’s song is paramount to keeping a winning record.
“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.”
Melvin holds an aggregate .516 record over 20 seasons, his longest stint being a run with the Oakland Athletics from 2011 to 2021. While there, he managed the A’s to their best-ever July standing of 19-5 and in 2012 led them to their first playoff appearance since 2006. For his accomplishments, Melvin was awarded the American League Manager of the Year award. He finished his time there with 853 wins, the second-most behind Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack.
The national anthem was again politicized during this year’s Super Bowl when legions of Kansas City Chiefs fans refused to stand during the Black National Anthem, known as “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which the NFL has played ahead of high-profile games since the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. However, the league began to quietly tone down its virtue signaling, repeaIing the “End Racism” banner in end zones and retreating from appeals for the Chiefs to change their name like the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins.