Athletics Incorporate Black Lives Matter into 2020 Season Opener
The Oakland Athletics took a unified, if individualistic, approach to the Black Lives Matter movement for Friday’s home opener.
During the National Anthem, while no A’s players knelt, two of them, DH Khris Davis and second baseman Tony Kemp, raised their right fists for the duration. Several of the vising Angels knelt.
Before the anthem and after introductions to piped-in crowd noise, players and coaches picked up and held a black unity cloth that stretched from the left field corner to the right field corner.
Also during the pregame ceremonies, the A’s paid tribute to members of the organization, both onfield and off, who have passed away since last season. Among their number were pitcher Matt Keough, outfielder Claudell Washington, Scout/instructor Ed Sprague Sr., minor league first baseman and COVID-19 victim Miguel Marte, PA announcer Roy Steele, original team employee Harold Miller, hot dog hawker Jimmy “The Hot Dog Guy” Graff and scoreboard operator Chester Farrell.
All of the A’s wore Black Lives Matter shirts during workouts, as did most of the visiting Angels.
About four hours before opening night got underway at the Coliseum, A’s players went through the club’s communications department to issue this statement:
“As the players and staff of the Oakland A’s, we are proud to support our Black teammates and other Black players across the game by participating in MLB’s opening night activities. As a team, we believe Black lives matter and we are committed to supporting racial justice in this country.”
Second baseman Tony Kemp, who spent much of his time during the pandemic-induced shutdown trying to engage about the subject of being black in America, said two weeks ago that many of MLB’s Black players will be uniting around anti-racism efforts for opening day by taking a knee, wearing a piece of black cloth on their uniform or by holding a black hat over the heart during the anthem.
Without being specific, Kemp said “I plan to be a part of it.”
“It’s one thing to talk about what you’re going to do, but without action, it doesn’t mean anything.”
As several of the #Angels knelt during the anthem, #Athletics Tony Kemp and Khris Davis raised their right fists. pic.twitter.com/MkDrY8H9Nj
— John Hickey (@JHickey3) July 25, 2020
Manager Bob Melvin said a team meeting recently got everyone understanding what was involved.
“It was a great meeting, and then it’s full support with our team and whatever we can do to raise awareness,” Melvin said. “Baseball is doing, in my opinion, a really good job of creating the awareness, and you’ll see more and more as we go along, so we’re all embracing that.”
During a pregame video call Friday with the local media, Saturday starter Sean Manaea was wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, although he said he hadn’t yet made up his mind what, if anything, he was going to do beyond that.
Would he take a knee?
“I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
He said the team had talked about wearing black cloth to symbolize support of BLM.
Shortstop Marcus Semien said he was glad all the A’s were wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts, and echoed Manaea in saying that anything any player wanted to do beyond that would be on an “individual basis.”
General manager David Forst seemed confident that his players would acquit themselves well.
“Any way the player wants to express himself (is all right),” Forst said. “We have always supported that. I think there are a lot of important messages to be sent right now, and our guys have a platform to do it if they feel strongly.
“I’m proud of them for however they handle it.”
Follow Athletics insider John Hickey on Twitter: @JHickey3
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