Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto leads a group of Reds players kneeling during the national anthem. David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Joey Votto, other Reds players kneel during national anthem

By Zac Wassink | Last updated Jul 21, 2020 7:31 PM ET

Ahead of Tuesday's exhibition game between the Detroit Tigers and Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark, multiple members of the Reds kneeled to protest police violence and racial injustices.

As noted by ESPN , Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto, reliever Amir Garrett, infielder Alex Blandino and outfielder Phillip Ervin all fell to a knee during the "Star-Spangled Banner." The Reds added the hashtag "#BlackLivesMatter" in a tweet showing the demonstration:

Unity. ❤️#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/mR66NAniJq
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) July 21, 2020

The previous evening, multiple members of the San Francisco Giants, including manager Gabe Kapler, kneeled during the anthem.

A bunch of Giants players and coaches kneeled for the anthem. Brandon Crawford put his hands on the shoulders of Jaylin Davis and Antoan Richardson: pic.twitter.com/2XsIg8oFjw
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) July 21, 2020

The "Black Lives Matter" movement gained momentum in the United States and around the world following the killing of George Floyd on May 25. Footballers throughout European leagues and Major League Soccer have dropped to one knee ahead of kickoffs in unity and support of the campaign.

The NBA has painted the "Black Lives Matter" slogan on courts at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex bubble site for the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign.

Zac Wassink

Zac Wassink is a longtime sports news writer and PFWA member who began his career in 2006 and has had his work featured on Yardbarker, MSN, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. He is also a football and futbol aficionado who is probably yelling about Tottenham Hotspur at the moment and who chanted for Matt Harvey to start the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2015 World Series at Citi Field. You can find him on X at @ZacWassink

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