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Tags: boycott | national anthem | mlb | tony la russa | school shooting | uvalde | texas

White Sox Manager La Russa Will 'Never Not Stand Up' For National Anthem

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa leans on a rail and has his hand on his chin in the dugout
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)

By    |   Sunday, 29 May 2022 10:08 PM EDT

White Sox manager Tony La Russa criticized his colleague, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler, for his decision to boycott the national anthem in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last week.

La Russa, while saying he agrees with Kapler's stance on gun violence, stated that protesting the flag and anthem is not "appropriate."

Before playing against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, La Russa said, "[W]here I disagree is that the flag and the anthem are not appropriate places to try to voice your objection. I think you go directly to what the cause that really bothers you about the direction of the country is. So to me, it isn't the flag and the anthem. I think it makes more sense to figure out which of those issues and speak about the ones he didn't like, and what he will do about it."

Kapler wrote in a blog post Friday that he will boycott the anthem until "I feel better about the direction of our country."

"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.

"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," Kapler wrote.

However, La Russa argued that standing for the flag and anthem symbolizes gratitude for others who had sacrificed for him under that flag.

"I would never not stand up for the anthem or the flag. Maybe just because I'm older, and I've been around veterans more than the average person. You need to understand what the veterans think when they hear the anthem, or they see the flag and the cost they paid and their families paid. And if you understand that, I think it's impossible not to salute the flag and listen to the anthem," La Russa said.

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White Sox manager Tony La Russa criticized his colleague, San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler, for his decision to boycott the national anthem in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, last week.
boycott, national anthem, mlb, tony la russa, school shooting, uvalde, texas, gabe kapler
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2022-08-29
Sunday, 29 May 2022 10:08 PM
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