To get vaccinated or not? This is the question that all the citizens of the world have had to ask themselves at some point in recent months. An individual decision that professional athletes have also had to make and that has sparked many debates. Probably the most notorious controversies are those that have been seen in the NBA with media stars such as Kyrie Irving championing the anti-vaccines. But his case is not the only one, this division between those in favor of vaccines and those opposed to inoculation is replicated in sports such as tennis and football.
NBA: the most radical denial
If there is a country in the world in which individual freedom is more relevant, it is surely the United States. Americans greatly appreciate their freedom and defend it tooth and nail. The vaccine debate is no exception to this cause, as has been seen in the NBA. Before the start of the regular season, fifty players refused to be vaccinated.
Although the vast majority had received their doses to start the course immunized, a handful of athletes continue to refuse, alleging everything from conspiracy theories to religious reasons. The most notorious case is that of Kyrie Irving, star of the Brooklyn Nets.
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The NBA franchise has left its star out of the team until he decides to get vaccinated, because New York laws prevent him from playing home games if he is not immunized. A decision that the fans did not like, who have even demonstrated in front of the Barclays Center to show their anger.
He is not the only one, Andrew Wiggins (Warriors) and Jonathan Issac (Orlando Magic) have tried to get an exemption from the league citing religious beliefs, although without convincing the NBA. Also among the fifty anti-vaccines is Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal.
Football: from the Bundesliga, to the Premier
In the world of football, the most notorious case has been that of the Bayern footballer, Joshua Kimmich. The German is one of the few footballers who has openly acknowledged that he is not vaccinated. “I have personal reservations,” he admitted, although his position is not nearly as uncompromising as that of the NBA stars.
“I do not say categorically that I will not get vaccinated, I just want to wait for long-term studies,” argues the Bayern player who believes that “does not mean that he is a denier or an opponent of vaccination.”
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In the Bundesliga the case of Wout Weghort, a Wofsburg footballer, is also known. The player, who starts in the Champions League match against Sevilla, is one of the athletes who refuses to be vaccinated and who has contracted covid. The same case as N’Golo Kanté, from Chelsea. Although he has not openly acknowledged that he is not immunized, Tuchel hinted at it at a press conference when he explained the player’s absence at Juventus-Chelsea in the Champions League due to his positive for covid.
Even more serious is the case of Callum Robinson. International for Ireland and a West Brom player, he is against vaccines despite having had this disease twice. In fact, the vaccination figures in the Premier are worrying: only a third of the players have received their dose. Despite being the first league to open its stadiums to 100% capacity after the pandemic, according to BBC data, only seven clubs have at least half of their squad vaccinated.
Pep Guardiola during a match with City
Coaches such as Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have vigorously defended the use of the vaccine. The Catalan technician has spoken recently on the matter: “It is a private matter. I have my own opinion. I trust the doctors and scientists. They say it is the best way to protect people. Both I and my family do. we have done. The doctors will talk to the players individually and decide. In England we have seen how many people have died and how many continue to suffer. You have to move forward, wear masks and get vaccinated for the good of the people, “he says.
In Spain no data of this type are known, but clubs like Barcelona announced at the beginning of September that 99.9% of their athletes, from the youth category, had received their doses. His intention, moreover, was to continue administering the vaccine progressively to all the club’s players, La Masia and grassroots football (up to 12 years old), as well as to the teams in the amateur sections.
Tennis: Djokovic’s ambiguity
Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has not wanted to reveal whether he has been vaccinated or not, but his speech in the past has been against the vaccine. There had been a lot of debate about whether he could participate in the Australian Open, one of the strictest countries in terms of its entry policy. In the end Djokovic will be able to be in the tournament, whether he is vaccinated or not. The Australian Government has announced that those who do not have their vaccination record up to date must keep a quarantine of 14 days from their entry into the country.
This week the name of another great figure in world tennis was also known, who has not yet been immunized. Dominic Thiem has seen him banned from the Vienna tournament he planned to attend as a spectator while recovering from his physical problems. The Austrian tennis player has missed this appointment at home because he was not vaccinated, although he has already shown his willingness to do so in the coming weeks so that he can start the season without problems.
NHL: the example to follow
While stars from all sports come to the fore defending their decision to get vaccinated or not vaccinated, there are leagues in which the debate is non-existent. This is the case of the NHL, the national hockey league in the United States in which almost 100% of its athletes have received their dose. Of the 800 athletes that comprise it, only four have declined the vaccine.
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