MLB: Hymn protest has also reached MLB

The protests during the US anthem have now reached the MLB.Catcher Bruce Maxwell of Oakland Athletics was the first MLB player to kneel down during the anthem on Saturday.

Prior to the start of A’s 1-0 win over Texas Rangers, Maxwell laid down his knees and teammate Mark Canha laid his hand on his shoulder to support him.

On Friday, Maxwell had written on Twitter in response to US President Donald Trump’s speech in which he described NFL players who were kneeling during the anthem as “sons of bitches”:”Don’t be surprised if you see athletes kneeling in other sports soon!Comments like these from our president.Wow!”

“I’ve been thinking long and hard about my decision.I’ve been struggling with myself for a long time because I know that nobody has ever done this in baseball.Ultimately, however, I’ve reached the point where I think that inequality is being discussed and our president is doing this,”explained Maxwell, son of an army veteran born at the Army base in Wiesbaden, after the game.

“The reason for my kneeling is not that I have no respect for the military, or for the constitution or the country.My hand above my heart symbolizes the fact that I am and will always be an American citizen.And I’m more than grateful to be here.But my knees get attention because I kneel for the people who don’t have a voice,”Maxwell continued.

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Maxwell went on to explain for whom he knelt:”This goes beyond the black society, as well as beyond Spanish society, because we have an indifference and an ethnic divide among all kinds of people.This is done by people with the greatest power we have in this country.And that basically says it’s okay to treat people differently.My kneeling, as I have done, is for a good cause and in no way a form of disrespect for the country or my flag.”

The A’s made a statement shortly after the anthem that supports Maxwell:”The Oakland A’s are proud to be inclusive.We respect and support all constitutional rights of our players and their freedom to express themselves.”

Later on Saturday evening, Major League Baseball also made a statement on the situation:”The league has a long-standing tradition of honouring our nation before the games start.We also respect that each of our players is an individual with his or her own background, perspective and opinions.We believe that our game will continue to bring together our fans, their communities and our players.”

This article was published without prior view by the Major League Baseball.