Betts reversed a pledge not to kneel during the US anthem before the Dodgers took on the Los Angeles Giants yesterday, saying that he "needed to be educated on the situation" as he made the symbolic anti-racism gesture alongside nearly every other player and coach before the 8-1 win for his team.

The 27-year-old, whose new deal includes a record $65 million signing bonus and adds up to $392 million alongside his current one-year, $27 million deal, said he would never kneel during the anthem because of his Air Force veteran father four years ago.

“I wasn’t educated," he said on the same week that the movement's most high-profile critic, President Trump, claimed he had agreed to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a New York Yankees game next month.