Mark Canha showed his support of Bruce Maxwell’s protest, but he could have done a lot more.
Back in 2017, Bruce Maxwell became the only player in Major League Baseball to protest racism and police brutality by taking a knee during the National Anthem. While none of his other teammates joined him in kneeling, Mark Canha showed his support by standing next to the A’s former catcher, placing his hand on his shoulder. In that gesture, he showed that Maxwell was not alone.
Now, Canha feels he should have done more. He stated that sometimes, he feels that he should have not just put his hand on Maxwell’s shoulder, but that he should have taken a knee with his teammate.
"Sometimes I wish that I had knelt."
— Hannah Keyser (@HannahRKeyser) June 12, 2020
When Bruce Maxwell knelt during the national anthem to protest police brutality in 2017, Mark Canha stood next to him with a hand on his shoulder. We talked to Canha about that decision and what MLB needs to do now. pic.twitter.com/lrINj2KFct
At the time, it was difficult to argue with Canha’s decision. He had displayed solidarity with Maxwell, showing that he had support on his team. Even if he was the only player taking a knee, he was not alone.
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However, hindsight is 20/20. With the current political climate, different players and leagues are stepping forward and admitting that they should have done more. The NFL admitted that they should have given Colin Kaepernick, and other protesting players, more of an audience. MLB, while they eventually made a statement, waited beyond the timeframe it took other leagues, and even their players, to speak out.
Maxwell, meanwhile, wondered where this support was during his own protest. It is also possible that the protest, coupled with his weapons charges, hastened his exit from affiliated ball, leading to his current status in the Mexican League.
Perhaps that would have been different had Canha knelt with Maxwell. But back then, Canha was hardly established as a major leaguer himself, having played in a total of 73 games between 2016 and 2017. It is possible that Canha would have jeopardized his own career by joining Maxwell in more than a symbolic gesture.
Now, Mark Canha wonders if he should have done more to support Bruce Maxwell and his protest. In retrospect, he should have taken a knee as well.