This fall season, many of the COVID-19 restrictions for all athletes loosened due to the availability of the vaccine. Those who were vaccinated did not succumb to weekly tests, quarantine and isolation. College athletes who decided to not take the vaccine were asked to either provide a negative COVID-19 test upon arrival at their campus or to take a COVID-19 test when they showed up.
The National Collegiate Athletic Assocaiation heavily encouraged their student-athletes to take the vaccine. This scenario has caused strife within college athletics. Coaches are finding players will take the vaccine, and a number of players that won’t are asked not to play, or to leave the school, until they take the vaccine.
Looking past the NCAA, many prominent pro-sport athletes have taken a stance on the vaccine. NBA players Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal and Andrew Wiggins opposed the vaccine. If Irving and Wiggins do not take the vaccine, local health guidelines in San Francisco and New York City prohibit them from playing in home games. Many other NBA facilities will turn down unvaccinated players.
Kyrie Irving, a starting point guard for the Brooklyn Nets, was prevented from coming to practice after not complying with New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The Nets asked that he not attend practices or games until he has taken the vaccine.
In an interview with ESPN, Irving said, “It is reality that in order to be in New York City, in order to be on a team, I have to be vaccinated. I chose to be unvaccinated, and that was my choice, and I would ask you all to just respect that choice. This is not a political thing; this is not about the NBA, not about any organization. This is about my life and what I am choosing to do.”
If Irving continues through the whole season without taking the vaccine, he would lose the money earned playing at his home court as well as two games against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. His total financial loss would equal $17 million.
Irving continued to say, “I am staying grounded in what I believe in. It is as simple as that. It is not about being anti-vax or about being on one side or the other. It is just really about being true to what feels good for me.”
Another pro-athlete, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers ran into backlash.Before his season began, Rodgers told the press he was “immunized.” Many believed this meant he had taken the COVID-19 vaccine. But after
testing positive for COVID-19 mid-season, Rodgers was placed in a 10-day quarantine period. He apologized about misleading anyone to believe he was vaccinated.
Rodgers said in his post-game interview after a 17-0 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, “Everybody has an opinion and I understand that it’s a very polarizing issue for some individuals but I’m just focusing on the support that I got and it was deep and wide, and greatly appreciated. There’s always going to be criticism in this world. I don’t define myself by the criticism, but I understand it’s a part of this because this issue is definitely polarizing.”