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Nationals and Yankees kneel ahead of Opening Day national anthem
Players for the Washington Nationals and New York Yankees all took a knee prior to the playing of the National Anthem ahead of Thursday’s first game of the coronavirus-delayed 2020 MLB season.
The athletes also held a black ribbon while kneeling to honor the Black Lives Matter movement during the moment, according to the Associated Press.
Several teams have taken a knee prior to preseason games to protest racial injustice following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
The players stood during the playing of the anthem, according to Yahoo! Sports.
The Nationals and Yankees all knelt (every single player) for a moment before the anthem, but no one knelt while the anthem was played. pic.twitter.com/RKTUtSOmpv— Hannah Keyser (@HannahRKeyser) July 23, 2020
Taking knees during the National Anthem has been a polarizing topic for nearly four years, since then-San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the anthem in the 2016 NFL season. Kaepernick said he was protesting police brutality against minorities.
“Get that son of a (expletive) off the field. Out. He’s fired. He’s fired,” President Trump said he would have liked to see NFL owners say the following season when other players continued the protest.
It isn’t clear how the president will react to Thursday’s showing of unity, since the players knelt prior to the presentation of the colors and stood for the anthem.
However, he warned via tweet Tuesday that he would stop watching a game if he saw someone kneeling during the anthem.
Looking forward to live sports, but any time I witness a player kneeling during the National Anthem, a sign of great disrespect for our Country and our Flag, the game is over for me!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2020
Trump seemed excited for the start of the baseball season, per his Thursday night tweet that featured youngsters playing catch on the White House lawn. The president joined in the festivities by tossing the ball back and forth with Hall of Fame pitcher Mariano Rivera.
WELCOME BACK BASEBALL! pic.twitter.com/dhLSfNkI7L— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2020
Trump awarded Rivera the presidential medal of freedom last year.
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