‘Very little’ concern over kneeling on road
Bruce Maxwell is on the cover of Sports Illustrated this week, not in a way he might have imagined as a kid, but in a way that fits the tone of sports in today’s sociopolitical climate.
The catcher took a knee during the national anthem for the fifth straight day before the A’s 6-5 victory over Seattle on Wednesday, and again he received mostly support from fans at the Coliseum.
The season’s final four games will be in Arlington, Texas, and for the first time, Maxwell will kneel before a road game.
“My concerns are very little,” Maxwell said. “You’re going to have differences. I grew up in Alabama. I might get more boos than cheers. It’s nothing I’m not used to.”
As the first baseball player to take a knee during the anthem, Maxwell knew he was exposing himself to being ridiculed and, in some cases, threatened. His actions prompted Sports Illustrated to include him among 10 sports figures on this week’s cover, including Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who addressed racial-injustice and/or freedom-of-speech issues last weekend.
The title: “A Nation Divided/ Sports United.”
“When I saw the Sports Illustrated cover,” Maxwell said, “in my mind was the late Nelson Mandela, who said sports has a way of uniting the country, unlike any other government or power can do. Right now, that’s what’s showing. Guys from all over the world are starting to stand up for the equality of man in general and not just a single race.”
Mandela helped take down South Africa’s form of institutional racism in part through sports, most notably during the 1995 Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg. Mandela once was quoted as saying, “Sport has the power to change the world.”
Maxwell kneels in protest of (and to raise awareness of ) racial and social inequality. The increased protests in sports, especially over the weekend in the NFL in the wake of divisive comments by President Trump, put the movement in a positive direction, Maxwell said.
“I think so. Slowly but surely,” he said. “When change is on the increase, you’re always going to have people that disagree with you or people who don’t understand, and there’s always going to be hate and always going to be uncomfortable situations, and that’s what we’re addressing right now. That’s what we’re experiencing right now.
“At the end of the day, if people take the time to actually try to understand and try to emphasize and accept the fact that this is what our beautiful country has, is the freedom of speech and the freedom of protest, maybe down the road, that’ll change things.”
A different environment is anticipated in Texas.
“I think he’s aware of that, too,” said manager Bob Melvin, who expressed confidence Major League Baseball security understands the situation and will be proactive. “You don’t make a stance like that and not know there are potential ramifications elsewhere. I don’t think it’ll bother him, put it that way. He’s pretty committed to what he’s doing. He continues to do so and will continue to, even in Texas.”
Each time Maxwell kneels, Mark Canha has put a hand over his shoulder. Canha said the actions shouldn’t change just because the venue does.
“Texas is a different place than Northern California,” Canha said. “That’s kind of the point, isn’t it? That’s kind of the idea.”