New Rule: Stand for the Anthem

It's not about politics, or patriotism, or his predecessor, the new manager of the San Francisco Giants said. But Bob Melvin now requires every person in his team's dugout to step onto the field and stand while the national anthem is being played. "It's more about letting the other side know that we're ready to play," Melvin said, USA Today reports. "I want guys out here ready to go. There's a personality to that." He said he imposed the same rule while managing the Oakland and San Diego teams and had to enforce it at times.

Gabe Kapler, the previous Giants manager, stopped going onto the field for the national anthem in 2022 after the killings at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. After George Floyd was killed, he took a knee in protest for several games in 2020. Kapler was fired in September after the Giants had finished out of the postseason for a third time in his four seasons, per CBS Sports. When the team takes the field for the anthem in spring training, it's a crowd, per the Athletic. It includes 68 players plus coaches, trainers, batboys, and Melvin. The players in the bullpen walk onto the warning track to stand at attention. (More Major League Baseball stories.)