The 2021 NBA campaign is shaping up to be a disaster.
Political protests have marred the league over the past two years.
Now Dr. Anthony Fauci could ruin the upcoming NBA season for one infuriating reason.
The COVID tyranny has escalated even though vaccines were supposed to end the pandemic.
Instead power-hungry politicians and public health officials are prolonging the suffering of the coronavirus.
The restrictions have even bled into professional sports, the demographic least likely to be directly affected by COVID.
Due to draconian vaccine mandates in certain cities, NBA players may be forced to sit out games.
Unvaccinated players for teams in San Francisco and New York City could theoretically miss half their games.
NBA all-star Kyrie Irving and former number one overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins are two high-profile players who refuse to get the vaccine despite a relentless campaign from the corporate press.
From Rolling Stone:
When asked directly about Irving’s vaccination status — or his plans to change it — multiple people familiar with his thinking declined to answer directly. But one confidant and family member floated to Rolling Stone the idea of anti-vaxx players skipping home games to dodge the New York City ordinance…or at least threatening to protest them, until the NBA changes its ways.
New York City has become a flashpoint for vaccine mandate defiance.
Black New Yorkers, which have a vaccination rate around 28%, are beginning to balk at the two-tiered society created by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Tyki Irving, Kyrie’s aunt who runs his family foundation, said of the matter:
“There are so many other players outside of him who are opting out, I would like to think they would make a way…It could be like every third game. So it still gives you a full season of being interactive and being on the court, but with the limitations that they’re, of course, oppressing upon you. There can be some sort of formula where the NBA and the players can come to some sort of agreement.”
Wiggins, a member of the Golden State Warriors who play in the Bay Area, is having similar issues.
More from Rolling Stone:
[T]he league announced that it had denied an application for a religious exemption by the unvaccinated Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, and that he cannot yet play in their home games in San Francisco — which, like New York City, has a vaccination requirement for all people over 12 in venues such as basketball arenas.
Not even professional sports teams can get around the burdensome COVID restrictions.
Last season, the San Francisco 49ers had to move two of their home games to Arizona because the city of Santa Clara—where the team stadium and headquarters are located—banned athletic competition in the area.
The response to COVID from public officials is creating a growing resistance that’s fed up with the government overreach and destruction of societal norms.
If NBA superstars are willing to stand up to the tyranny, perhaps that could help beat back the absurd restrictions.
