Kneeling for the anthem is spreading to other sports. Now, MLB joins in on the fun. Oakland A's catcher Bruce Maxwell knelt for the "Star Spangled Banner."
When the anthem began, Maxwell took a knee and put his hand over his heart.
Here is a tweet showing a photo of Maxwell kneeling, from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
From the @sfchronicle’s Santiago Mejia, here is A’s rookie Bruce Maxwell becoming the first MLB player to take a knee for the anthem: pic.twitter.com/q8QVY9hW15
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) September 24, 2017
Per Daily Wire:
Teammate Mark Canha stood next to Maxwell, and placed a hand on his shoulder during the protest. The pair embraced after the anthem had finished.
Maxwell had warned the team ahead of his protest, and both players and management were supportive, ESPN reports. Before the game, the A's released a statement on Twitter, saying the team would "respect and support" players' Constitutional right to free expression.
After the game, Maxwell addressed his protest, telling reporters that, while his protest was inspired by Colin Kaepernick, and players in the NFL who knelt during the national anthem in protest of racial issues plaguing the country, Maxwell tailored his protest differently – to send a message while still expressing respect for the flag.
"The point of my kneeling is not to disrespect our military, it's not to disrespect our Constitution, it's not to disrespect this country. ... My hand over my heart symbolizes the fact that I am and I'll forever be an American citizen, and I'm more than grateful to be here. But my kneeling is what is getting the attention because I'm kneeling for the people that don't have a voice," Maxwell said.
"And this goes beyond the black community, and this goes beyond the Hispanic community, because right now we're having an indifference and a racial divide in all types of people. It's being practiced from the highest power that we have in this country, and it's basically saying that it's OK to treat people differently," he added. "My kneeling, the way I did it, was to symbolize that I'm kneeling for a cause, but I'm in no way or form disrespecting my country or my flag."
It appears Maxwell was triggered by President Trump's tweet about kneeling during the national anthem. He has long been a critic of President Trump and yesterday he expressed his displeasure.
https://twitter.com/bruu_truu13/status/911654514050064384
https://twitter.com/bruu_truu13/status/911635946046611456
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