On Saturday, A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell was the first baseball player to take a knee in protest during the national anthem. It was a brave act that could open the door for more players in the sport to follow him.
In his first at-bat after taking a knee, Bruce Maxwell got a standing ovation from fans
His protest didn’t go unnoticed.
However, the reaction from fans after NFL and NBA players have participated or initiated similar protests hasn’t always been positive. So it was even more awesome to see that when Maxwell went up to home plate for his first at-bat since taking a knee, he got an effusive standing ovation from the fans in Oakland.
While not every single fan was on their feet, the shots of the stands showed many fans letting Maxwell know exactly how they felt about his actions in a positive and supportive way — and being as loud as they could in a stadium that wasn’t exactly full.
At the beginning of the game, the marching band performing the anthem took a knee as well.
There’s certainly a chance that other fan bases could act differently if more baseball players decide to take a knee in the future. But for Maxwell to be welcomed to the field in this manner after protesting shows that at least for one night fans were on his, and his message’s, side and wanted him to feel OK about his decision.
Maxwell is a rookie player without a national following who could have experienced a lot more backlash from local fans than happened here. It’s great for baseball and Maxwell’s message that his intentions spurred this positivity instead.
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