Sports
All Yankees, Nationals Players Kneel Before Season Opener in ‘Moment of Unity’
Alex Brandon/Associated PressMajor League Baseball wasted no time before making a statement on social justice to begin the 2020 season.As Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reported would happen, the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals took part in a “moment of unity” prior to Thursday’s Opening Day game at Nationals Park.Players lined up along the…
Alex Brandon/Associated Press
Major League Baseball wasted no time before making a statement on social justice to begin the 2020 season.
As Lindsey Adler of The Athletic reported would happen, the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals took part in a “moment of unity” prior to Thursday's Opening Day game at Nationals Park.
Players lined up along the first and third baselines and held a long piece of black fabric. Adler noted it was “a way to demonstrate connectedness in an era where social distancing guidelines won't allow them to link arms.”
What's more, a video with current and former players saying “Black Lives Matter” played before Morgan Freeman narrated a message that said, in part, “Equality is not just a word, it is our right.”
Every player on the Yankees and Nationals took a knee as well:
Bryan Hoch @BryanHoch
Every player on the #Yankees and #Nationals takes a knee prior to the National Anthem. https://t.co/kbYeanpusp
Mark Zuckerman @MarkZuckerman
Everybody on both teams took a knee prior to the anthem. Then stood for the anthem. https://t.co/Z186ZDEsU9
Adler reported Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen directed the “player-led” effort, although the “unity” message is intended to go beyond the struggle for racial equality and against police brutality in the United States and also honor those who are facing injustices across the world.
McCutchen said in a statement:
“This moment is important for all MLB players to unite and show support for one another as we begin the 2020 baseball season. Our league makeup is unique, with nearly one third of players being foreign-born. No matter where we are from we are all facing battles for social justice and equality, the concerns of keeping our families and communities safe during times of a global pandemic, and facing the same challenges with the return to baseball. This is our time to stand together as one before we take the field as competitors.”
Buster Olney of ESPN previously reported the league held discussions with the players about how to address social justice during the 2020 campaign.
Members of the San Francisco Giants, including manager Gabe Kapler, and Cincinnati Reds, including star first baseman Joey Votto, have already kneeled during the national anthem prior to exhibitions as a means of protesting police brutality and systemic racism.
SF Giants on NBCS @NBCSGiants
Giants players kneeling during the anthem https://t.co/xT2YkbQ8GS
Cincinnati Reds @Reds
Unity. ❤️
#BlackLivesMatter https://t.co/mR66NAniJq
Adler reported the moment of unity was designed to end before the anthem was played so individual players could do their own demonstrations if they chose to.
ESPN reported teams, including the Nationals, were expected to have a Black Lives Matter/MLB stencil on the pitcher's mound for this weekend's opening games.
“The Nationals, in conjunction with Major League Baseball, stand with the Black Lives Matter movement and will utilize the platform and national stage of Opening Day to express support for the fight against systemic racism and injustice,” the team said in an announcement.
What's more, the club planned on recognizing the front-line workers who have helped fight the COVID-19 pandemic before the game. Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, threw out the first pitch.
The league will also undergo a number of initiatives throughout the season. Adler noted MLB will allow players to express “social justice messages and causes” on their cleats, sent teams Black Lives Matter shirts for batting practice, will allow players to wear a patch that says “Black Lives Matter” or “United for Change” on their sleeves and provided wristbands with an inverted MLB logo with a silhouetted batter who is Black.
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