Welcome to the Good Tidings Podcast with host Larry Harper, Founder of the Good Tidings Foundation. This podcast is all about highlighting the good in people and what individuals are doing to make an impact in this world for the benefit of others, and it aims to inspire a community of givers! Today, Larry is getting ready for baseball season with this month’s guest: the Manager of the San Francisco Giants, Gabe Kapler.
Gabe is currently interacting socially with his coaches, encouraging them to spend time with families and scouting the minor leagues. Gabe believes that human development happens at every stage in life. He works with his team to continue growing and developing their careers, allowing them to be better than the stats on the back of their baseball cards. He believes in efficient, sharp practices, and the development of the player at any age. Gabe also knows he has to be disciplined as a coach and know when to give his players time off and why that may be better for the team in the long run.
In the past, Gabe’s community work was geared to educate people on the signs of domestic violence. He talked about being physically strong while not exerting physical strength over a partner. He explains to students that strength can be shown with support and kindness. His current organization, Pipeline for Change, works to diversify the leadership in sports, especially baseball. PFC provides resources and removes obstacles for BIPOC, women, non-binary people and members of the LGBTQ+ community to participate in all aspects of collegiate and professional sports. Gabe was the first Major League Manager to kneel in support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The easiest action step, Gabe says, is looking for black players in the organization who have the skills to lead and coach. It is important to confront your own biases when doing this work, because too often coaches only approach the players who look like them to mentor into leadership.
Gabe’s desire to help all humans comes from his parents. They were both anti-war and civil rights activists, and his dinner table growing up was often a debate on how to do better. He doesn’t give back just because baseball has given him so much, but rather because he knows he has a limited window of opportunity to have this platform. In ten years, he says he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t win as many games as he hopes to, but he will be disappointed if he doesn’t use his platform to stand up and speak the truth in support of social causes.
Learn more about Gabe Kapler and Pipeline for Change.
Learn more about the Good Tidings Foundation.
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