In defiance of Trump, every player took a knee at MLB return

[catbyte]

July 23, 2020

By Bob Brigham



President Donald Trump has long complained about players taking a knee before professional sporting events to protest police brutality.

But as Major League Baseball returned on Thursday night, every single player took a knee.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

snip

https://www.rawstory.com/2020/07/in-defiance-of-trump-every-player-took-a-knee-at-mlb-return/

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. B E A U T I F U L !

[triron]

7. +1000

[chia]

12. Yes. Yes it is

[Totally Tunsie]

2. Let's hope the Yanks and Red Sox were watching...

[krkaufman]

17. Yanks?

Game was Nats vs Yankees.

[Totally Tunsie]

19. The Yankees and Red Sox are playing on August 15.

Chump will be throwing out the first pitch. I'm hoping both teams take a knee during the anthem.

[CaptYossarian]

52. I just thought it was because they were two of the last MLB

teams to have a Black player.

BTW, what's Tim Tebow doing lately? He was always on one knee for some reason.

[Stallion]

3. OK All the Trumpers Have to Turn their TVs Off for the Rest of the Season Now

you promised

[Mariana]

64. Why would they? They got what they wanted.

The players stood for the anthem.

[DonaldsRump]

4. Ya' know, maybe Trump served some redeeming purposes after all

He is so detested that all persons of GOODWILL detest him, regardless of party affiliation.

For those that still love Trump, in my universe, you ARE NOT A PERSON OF GOODWILL.

Thanks, Trump, for making the distinction so clear!

[Maeve]

5. Prior to the anthem, but stood FOR the anthem

As a video from the Players Alliance, the group of current and former black players that formed after George Floyd was killed while in Minneapolis police custody in late May, played on the main scoreboard, players from both teams held a black ribbon that stretched from right field, behind home plate and down the left field line. Players knelt during the moment of silence that followed, then stood during the national anthem, which was prerecorded by D.C. Washington.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/07/23/yankees-nationals-mlb-opening-day/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_nats-blog%3Aprime-time%2Fpromo#link-I4VSLI4Z5JGFXCQRONXXUPFZGQ

[scarletwoman]

24. Thanks for pointing that out, but most of the people on this thread don't seem to have noticed.

[HotTeaBag]

31. True, but the photos of the teams kneeling say it all.

Good enough for me.

[scarletwoman]

33. I agree it makes a nice visual - a risk-free performative symbolic action. (nt)

[zipplewrath]

46. And that could be a key

Suppose we all kneeled prior to the Anthem, to recognize the promises unkept and then stood for the Anthem recognized the potential of the future?

[Martin Eden]

50. Thanks, that was my first question

Not quite the same statement (or slap in the face to Trump) if they stood for the anthem.

[zentrum]

51. Yes. It is a big difference.

Kind of the centrist's way.

Still, it's an important image.

And underscores the fact that Fauci was there and threw out the first ball. The combination, Fauci+Kneeling is quite a message.

[Tom Rinaldo]

54. Yes, it could have been a stromger statemement, but it was damn strong as it was

The entire point of kneeling during the national anthem originally was to call attention to injustice in America. It wasn't literally about the anthem, it was a means to, in the most powerful way possible, demonstrate that our nation was falling painfully short of our ideals. What those players, and MLB itself, did last night, was an an extremely powerful statement. No one could be unclear of the meaning of what took place on the field last night. They did what they did because Black Lives Matter. The message is what counts, not whether or not it was delivered in the most protest laden manner possible. Baseball is by far the whitest of the top four professional team sports in America, with roots that go back to the Reconstruction era. This was opening day during the pandemic. It was a unanimous statement. That was huge.

[malaise]

6. No one listens to him

Americans have moved on. The end is nigh!

[ProfessorGAC]

48. Actually, They Didn't Ignore It!

They did it to flip him off.
Yeah, I know the stood for the anthem, and PINO is still on "disrespecting the flag", but they did the kneel first, then stood to say " Now what?"

[Leghorn21]

8. Excuse me, there's something in my eye

this is so moving and beautiful Okay then gentlemen,

PLAY BALL!!!

[Doodley]

9. It is all over for Trump. He's finished.

[greenjar_01]

10. Righties all over Twitter saying "I'm cool with prior, but not during"

FYI.

[scarletwoman]

21. Of course they're cool with it - they won.

[ProfessorGAC]

49. I Disagree

I think it was orchestrated.
Kneel for the cause, then stand for anthem.
It was a "whatcha gonna do now" move that was the middle finger to those that refused to get the point.
BTW, Mookie Betts DID take a knee during the anthem.
They protested anyway, then by standing, gave them nothing to complain about.
I think the players won, not the wrong side!

[Mariana]

55. Of course it was orchestrated

to avoid offending the RWers. And the RWers are very happy about this. They made the anthem into their sacred cow, and now the anthem isn't being "disrespected". They never gave a fuck what the players did at any other time. As far as they're concerned, they've won.

[RainCaster]

11. May all professional atheletes follow this example

Across the NLB, NBA, NFL...

[onetexan]

18. K&R!!

[demigoddess]

23. Amen!!! professional, amateur, local, every team in the country!!

[Kitchari]

13. May it continue

Throughout all sports

[scarletwoman]

14. PRIOR to the anthem, not during. Not very much "defiance" in that, sorry.

What they did was a nice gesture, but not really what I would call defiant - they kept to the safe side of symbolic action.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

15. yes its called having it both ways

[scarletwoman]

20. I'd call it "performative dissent."

[Lokee11]

34. I Agree -

it was just that - a gesture, I dare say they just do not get it!

No half-steppin'!

FDT

[LiberalLovinLug]

67. Not "much defiance", but its still defiance.

We should be supportive of this action. I know its tempting to demand all or nothing, in this angry time. But take a breath, step back, and see that this is still something. Not nothing. Do folks really think that from now on, players must kneel during the anthem going forward? Not gonna happen.

This is still in support of BLM. That is still in defiance of the fat orange racist. This still gets publicity. Trump will definitely see it as a slap in the face.A rejection of his racist language. And so will Americans in general. And at the same time it cuts the legs out from under the Trump cult giving them no recourse. Yes, it was important that Kaepernick and others kneeled during the anthem in that moment in history, to raise the issue's importance. But IMO this is a good strategy going forward.

[scarletwoman]

70. Well said, I must say. Your point is taken, thank you.

[warmfeet]

16. Excellent!

I would love to take a knee in a more specific location.

I cannot divulge the exact location due to, well, personal concerns from scrornge authorities of diminished cognitive abilities. Whew, skated on that one I think.

[Ilsa]

22. They have reversed MLB on the mound to BLM, too. nt

[helpisontheway]

25. ❤️nt

[Politicub]

26. +1

[cyndensco]

27. Excellent!

[CatWoman]

28. K; R

awesome!!!!!

[Prof.Higgins]

29. Dr. Fauci threw ceremonial first pitch of MLB season in D.C. He looked awesome

in the Washington National's uniform with his name on the back snd sporting a face mask with the team's logo on it. To top off this historic honor for Fauci, he added to the legendary moment by throwing the ball 5 yards to the left of the catcher, which was jocularly described by the commentary team as a little bit outside. This can be seen on replay after a couple innings into ESPN broadcast, but I expect an MSNBC evening host or two might be playing the clip!

[TexasBushwhacker]

40. He was social distancing the pitch! N/t

[PurgedVoter]

30. I find myself crying.

This has touched me.

[sdfernando]

32. That Dump is so stupid

Doesn’t he realize that the more he pushes this the more PATRIOTIC kneeling becomes?

[liberalla]

37. + 1000 !

[spanone]

35. Hope he was watching.

[liberalla]

36. Man, if that doesn't send a message to moron-in-chief!!!

I love it!

[Mariana]

59. The message to the moron-in-chief is that they obeyed him.

They didn't kneel during the anthem.

[liberalla]

61. Oh. I didn't know that... So, it was 'compromise kneel' I guess...

[Mariana]

63. The headline is dishonest, they didn't defy Trump at all. nt.

[liberalla]

65. Yes, the headline is misleading. nt.

[Hamlette]

38. I'm in love

and totally asportual. Way to go guys!

[Pisces]

39. Best thing I saw today!

[TexasBushwhacker]

41. Oh darn

The Trumptastic wife of my boss wouldn't watch the game because Dr. Fauci was throwing the first pitch (even though he's advised every President since Ronald Reagan), so she missed the mass kneeling.

[not_the_one]

42. Could this also be a reply to the NASCAR incident

where Bubba Wallace was booed, then the crowd cheered when he crashed?

[roscoeroscoe]

47. Wasn't his car bumped?

Nc

[not_the_one]

57. per USA TODAY...

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/07/nascar-bubba-wallace-michael-mcdowell-all-star-bristol-crash

Just 17 laps into the qualifying event, Michael McDowell in the No. 34 Ford appeared to turn Wallace in the No. 43 Chevrolet into the wall, which totally destroyed the car.

[Hortensis]

43. Oh, LOVED coming on this, what I always wanted to see.

GOOD for them!

We advance.

[live love laugh]

44. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Cha]

45. WOW! This is Brilliant! So are they playing without❤️❤️❤️

fans? Sorry, I haven't been keeping up with what's been going on?

Mahalo, catbyte The Nationals!

[lark]

53. I don't care much for baseball, but damn, wish I had seen this inspiring moment.

Excellent for MLB, I am very proud of them!!

[Mariana]

56. The headline lies.

He doesn't want them to kneel during the anthem, and they didn't. They didn't defy Trump at all. They obeyed him.

[FakeNoose]

58. K & R! This is significant

[Mariana]

60. Why is it significant? They didn't kneel during the anthem.

That all Trump and the RW care about, so this made them happy.

[Maraya1969]

62. YES! Bless these people!

[tazmaniac]

66. YES!!!! Love it!!

[SWBTATTReg]

68. Amazing and what a slap in the face to trump this truly is. Good for MLB!!!

[yuiyoshida]

69. I wonder if Trump will do the Asshole thing, and shut down Major League Baseball

because everyone took a knee.

[NurseJackie]

71. Tears.

Goosebumps.