The Giants Have A New Policy For The National Anthem

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants fans can expect a crowded field for the national anthem due to a new policy from manager Bob Melvin, according to The Athletic.

All 68 players — plus coaches, trainers, batboys, relievers and bullpen catchers — will come together on the field, the publication reported.

“It’s all about the perception that we’re out there ready to play,” Melvin told The Athletic. “That’s it. You want your team ready to play and I want the other team to notice it, too. It’s really as simple as that.”

The new rule is a departure from the approach taken by former manager Gabe Kapler, who announced he would not stand for the anthem following the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, according to the outlet. Players during Kapler’s tenure could do whatever was comfortable for them during the anthem, The Athletic reported.

“A lot of things I’m doing aren’t an indictment on something that didn’t happen before I was here,” Melvin told the outlet. “It’s just what I like to see. They’ve embraced it, I think. The group is out there and we’re ready to go.”

And if players prefer to take a knee? Team union representative Austin Slater, outfielder for the Giants, told The Athletic the question hadn’t been addressed but that he expected players would have the right to kneel during the anthem.