Gabe Kapler pens powerful letter to baseball fans in wake of Uvalde shooting

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler stepped up and penned a remarkable letter to fans in the wake of the school shooting in Uvalde.

Over the last few years, in the wake of unfathomable mass shootings and moments of civil unrest, the sports world has responded in a seemingly patriotic way. They remove their hats, participate in a moment of silence, pledge allegiance to the flag and take the field of action.

If they feel a need to protest, ask Colin Kaepernick about protesting. Those players know to keep quiet.

San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler took to his personal website on Friday to express his true feelings about another mass shooting in which an 18-year-old stormed into a school with an AR-15 and multiple rounds of ammunition to kill children. Approximately 19 children and two adults were killed in the rampage that also left the shooter dead. While public officials were quick to praise law enforcement’s response, it’s later been revealed that there was a huge delay in response, allowing many to feel more could have been done to save lives.

Here’s just a portion of what Kapler wrote:

"“On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity."

The full letter by Kapler may be found here.

He will likely receive backlash regarding these comments from those who see this as an affront to the nation and military. In recent times, it’s been forgotten but peaceful protest is about as American as it gets.

What Kapler is saying is patriotic. He’s not happy, like most, that we live in a nation where these mass shootings continue to happen without anything being done to prevent future attacks. This is something that must be protested. It must stop. As a country that prides itself on being the Home of the Brave, it is unpatriotic that it’s not protested for fear of being somehow unpatriotic.