Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.

This jingle from 1974 defined American culture and has been called one of the most successful advertising campaigns.

Baseball is America’s game. America. 

Baseball games are not cultural staging area for anyone’s grievances, not even the players. Americans tune in to watch baseball and enjoy the traditions, whether in person or on TV – listening to “Take me out to the ballgame”, waiting to see who sings the national anthem, the seventh inning stretch, peanuts and popcorn and more.

But the writing is on the wall that baseball players, owners, managers and the franchises feel comfortable flipping the bird to their fans by supporting their players kneeling during the national anthem.

On Monday, several players, coaches and the manager of the San Francisco Giants took a knee before their exhibition game.

Doesn’t look like it’s going to stop either. When asked if it would continue, Manager Gabe Kapler said, “We’re going to have 60 chances during the regular season to make the same decision that we made today, to either stand or kneel or do something different.”

Feel free, Kapler. Destroy your team – and baseball – at your own peril.

But money talks so we’ll see how long this lasts. When their fans quit watching and buying tickets after the stadiums open again, maybe they’ll figure out who pays for the millions that they make. It’s the fans.

I really don’t care if a baseball player supports breast cancer, animal rights, green energy or beekeeping. Do it on your own time.

The national anthem is part of the Americanism of the baseball games. It is a display of our patriotism. It is a time where we are able to be a part of honoring our country.

The national anthem pretty much started at the World Series in 1918 and was played before every baseball game since World War II.

And now the baseball community thinks they can give a middle finger to their fans? 

They think they can disrespect the flag, the country and the veterans who died for the country and we’ll just shrug and say, “oh well” and keep watching?

I don’t think so. No thanks. Not interested.

I wish them good luck finding an audience who gives a crap about their unpatriotic anti-American millionaire baseball players and their self-indulging behavior.

I’d rather watch a cornhole tournament.