(Source: The Athletic)
On October 14, Beijing time, the NBA Brooklyn Nets officially announced that due to the failure to vaccinate against the new crown as required, the team decided to ban Kyrie Irving from participating in team training and games (including away games). According to the famous journalist Shams, the Nets will not offer Irving a contract extension.
Despite the "thorn head" of Irving, as of now, more than 95% of players in the NBA have been vaccinated against the new crown, compared with only 43% in the Premier League, and the vaccination coverage rate of other sports leagues in the United States, such as the NFL and NHL, is much higher than that of The Premier League and professional tennis players.
So why has the American Sports League had so much success in getting players vaccinated? Why do athlete vaccination rates vary across sports?
Recently, the foreign media "The Athletic" specifically studied the vaccination policies of six sports leagues and analyzed in detail the different methods they used.
NBA
LeBron James, Draymond Green, Bradley Beale and many other players have expressed their views on vaccination, which seems to have caused some trouble for the league to promote vaccination. But as the regular season approached, Irving became the only player in the league who refused to be vaccinated and would have a direct impact on the team's future.
Of the cities with NBA teams, only three cities, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, require players in their jurisdictions to be vaccinated or they will not be able to attend home training and games. Before the start of the season, officials from the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers all issued statements announcing that their players had been vaccinated, and Golden State Warriors Andrew Wiggins finally changed his stance last week and was vaccinated against covid-19.
Despite reports that 95 percent of the players were vaccinated, Irving's toughness and the impact of the constant fermentation of events were enough to make the anti-vaccine atmosphere in the league more intense.
However, Owen wasn't the only one who lit the fire. Several NBA players have been outspoken about not getting vaccinated, and the local government of these players has given them the green light to play games. But that doesn't mean they can sit back and relax, they still need to comply with the anti-epidemic measures from the alliance.
These unvaccinated players will undergo more frequent testing than those who have been vaccinated. On days when they don't have to play away games, they are required to stay in quarantine for long periods of time and stay away from high-risk indoor venues such as bars and restaurants; on road trips, they have to stay in the hotel where the team is staying, not in public areas. If marked by the close contact tracing mechanism, they will also face 7 days of isolation, and the loss of not being able to participate in the competition is very heavy.
WNBA
The WNBA is exemplary in how athletes are vaccinated, and as early as June, the league announced that 99% of its players had been fully vaccinated. This work was carried forward without the efforts of the players' union, who discussed with health personnel, medical experts and interacted with everyone through Zoom meetings, which was ultimately successful.
Atlanta Dream player Elizabeth Williams, the secretary of the players' union, was involved in advancing the movement. She stressed that the league needs to let players know comprehensive, authoritative and accurate vaccine information at the first time.
Player-led vaccination strategies are intentional by the WNBA to avoid enforcement and to help athletes dispel fear and suspicion of vaccines. The purpose of zoom meetings is to answer the confusion of the players and correct their prejudices.
(Source: WNBA official Twitter)
'To be honest, I think it's a way to make the players feel comfortable.' Williams said in a sports illustrated report, "If the league takes coercive measures, when we don't know much about vaccines, I don't think everyone will be vaccinated." But if the players are involved, the situation becomes different, and we answer everyone's questions through a relaxed atmosphere, which makes the players more comfortable without feeling extra pressure. ”
WNBA players have been at the forefront of social issues, including police brutality and voting rights. Players have become accustomed to being at the forefront outside of basketball, and this time is no exception. So far, no one in the WNBA has publicly rejected vaccinations or made anti-vaccination statements like Irving.
NFL
The NFL decided in early 2021 that players would not be vaccinated in the upcoming new season. Mandatory vaccinations must be subject to collective bargaining if required, and the NFL players' union will never agree to that decision. As a result, the NFL has decided to apply the same restrictions as in 2020 to players who are not vaccinated to motivate them to get vaccinated.
Vaccinated players do not have to wear masks indoors and are tested every 7 days (while unvaccinated players are tested daily, with the exception of rest days), and their social lives are not restricted. Unvaccinated players will not be able to contact a large number of teammates or relatives and friends outside of training on the road trip, and gatherings will be banned.
(Source: Agence France-Presse)
The NFL also said that if an unvaccinated player contracts COVID-19 and causes an outbreak in the team, the league will not change the schedule. If this happens, the match will be cancelled, the team that has the outbreak will be awarded a defeat, and players on both sides will not receive salaries.
Not long ago, the NFL claimed that about 94 percent of its players and more than 99 percent of its league and team staff had been vaccinated. "It makes us confident to say that the current NFL is very secure." NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alan Sears said.
The NFL's player vaccination rate has remained almost unchanged over the past month, suggesting that most players who want to get vaccinated have already taken action. And players like Cousins, Wenz and Cole Beasley seem unlikely to change their minds any time soon.
NHL
NHL Vice President Bill Daly said during the NHL Player Tour in Chicago in September that the league expects 99 percent of its players to be vaccinated at the start of the regular season.
In early September, the NHL and the players' union finalized the COVID-19 health and safety agreement for the 2021-22 season. Players' unions require players to be vaccinated in a timely manner (unless there is a medical or religious exemption) that risks triggering a COVID-19 health and safety agreement and missing a game and risking not getting paid.
（图源：The Boston Globe）
Vancouver Canadians forward Jason Dickinson said in an interview, "I have no intention of offending everyone here, but the vaccine does work," while noting that the decision not to vaccinate means that players and teams face greater constraints and risks.
Detroit Red Wing captain Dylan Larkin believes whether or not to get vaccinated depends on the beliefs of each player. "Our coalition does not have mandatory rules. In my opinion, if someone insists on not getting vaccinated, he should also be respected. ”
MLB
Although many MLB players opt for vaccination, the 87 percent vaccination rate still lags behind other leagues. This data includes players as well as coaches, trainers and other related staff, if only the vaccination rate of players is counted, this figure may be lower.
In addition to the efforts of the teams' medical teams, the League President's Office and the Players' Union also promote the benefits of vaccines to players by producing popular science videos. Some teams have also brought in professionals in the field of public health to help the players dispel misconceptions and prejudices.
In order to achieve an 85% vaccination rate for all teams, the league has set up incentives: if this percentage is reached, the restrictions on stadiums and related behaviors will be appropriately relaxed. As of June, a total of 23 teams had met that standard, and the Philadelphia Phillies in the second half of the season had also successfully reached that standard.
(Source: MLB official website)
Industry insiders say there are many reasons why players choose not to be vaccinated. Some players see vaccines as a political issue, others see COVID-19 as a prank in itself, some want to wait until the end of the season to make a decision, and even more so in the locker room constantly persuade their teammates not to get vaccinated...
But in general, if the number of postponed games this season is used as a measure of success, then the league is undoubtedly successful. Only 9 games of mlb have been postponed so far, far less than the 45 games of the 2020 season when vaccines were short.
Premier league
The English football community has never taken direct steps to urge players to be vaccinated.
The data shows that only 43% of the players are fully vaccinated. Although vaccinations are gradually improving compared to pre-season, there are still three Premier League clubs that are said to have less than 25% of their players vaccinated.
Vaccination rates in the EFL are also modest, with only 49% of players receiving two shots of the vaccine, but as in the Premier League, their numbers have shown a gradual improvement.
Mahta Morango, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association of England (PFA), called it a battle against "fake news" in the dressing room. Last month, he successfully sought the help of Britain's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van Tamm to address the players' concerns.
Van Tamm, who first made a video call with 20 Premier League club captains and then with more than 100 EFL club representatives, is said to have dispelled some of the entrenched rumours about vaccines. Some feared that vaccination would increase the risk of myocarditis and also create problems with male fertility, while one player mentioned religious issues because one vaccine was accused of containing trace amounts of alcohol. In this regard, Van Tamm pointed out that this amount of alcohol can only be said to be insignificant in ordinary life.
(Source: Goal.com)
There is a general consensus that no player can be forced to be vaccinated. Although some players are still strongly opposed to vaccines, the PFA, like the Premier League and the EFL, still chooses to persuade with a gentle attitude.
'I'm not trying to tell the players what to do, I'm trying to help them make the right judgments and decisions based on science. "The players are surrounded by a lot of misinformation and once they get the right information, they will be vaccinated," Morango said. I think we're moving in the right direction. ”
In contrast, according to Le Repubblica, only 20 people in Italy's top league have not been vaccinated, 5 of whom are from the same club.
Players who refuse to be vaccinated are not punished, but those who comply with the rules receive additional rewards. Fully vaccinated players are not required to undergo a 10-day quarantine after returning to the UK from an affected red zone country.
It is reported that the Premier League is also considering exempting some emergency measures for teams that have been vaccinated, which may include relaxing the epidemic prevention restrictions on training venues and match days, and reducing mandatory tests twice a week.
If COVID-19 continues to worsen in winter, the UK government will have to develop Plan B, which will require adult fans watching Premier League matches to be fully vaccinated through the National Health Service (NHS) COVID pass.
MLS
The vaccine has become widely available in Major League Soccer (MLS). In July, the MLS players' union told ESPN that about 95 percent of players were vaccinated. In addition, several clubs have posted posts on social media encouraging vaccinations, and some have even made room for vaccination stations.
MLS has been able to promote the vaccination of players in large part because they have strict vaccination requirements for unvaccinated players returning from international competitions. For a time, unvaccinated players were unable to cross the border between the U.S. and Canada without a quarantine period, which complicated the lives of unvaccinated players on three Canadian teams in the league (Montreal, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whiteroad).
(Source: Dallas FC official website)
Travel restrictions between the U.S. and Canada have been significantly eased, especially for those who have been vaccinated. But those restrictions also led directly to a deal: Montreal traded striker Eric Hurtado to the Columbus Crews, a decision that Montreal sporting director Olivier Renard said was directly related to Hurtado's reluctance to get vaccinated. The other two players who refused to be vaccinated were Columbus Crews goalkeeper Eloy Rum (who was quarantined after playing an international match against Curacao and missed a game) and Toronto FC's Nick Delion.
Overall, however, no absences due to the outbreak are expected to occur in the remaining regular season and playoffs of 2021.
tennis
As a sport without a league or team structure, tennis faces a unique set of challenges in pushing athletes to be vaccinated. Each player is inherently independent, so there's not much the Tour can do but urge players to get vaccinated.
Currently, 66 of the world's top 100 male tennis players have been vaccinated. Both the Women's Tennis Association International (WTA) and the Men's Professional Tennis Association (ATP) have set a target of 85 percent, though ideally they want to reach 100 percent.
More players are expected to be vaccinated in the offseason, and there will be no pressure to compete, reducing their concerns about vaccine side effects. The offseason also means that players will be in the same place for a week or two or more, which is also more conducive to receiving a second dose of vaccine.
Both the ATP and the WTA are taking steps to encourage athletes to get vaccinated, and they even offer vaccinations at some competition sites or at local health centers, such as the U.S. Open, which offered the first dose and the second dose at the BNP Paribas Open in California last week. Some players have been vaccinated during the game, but the number has not met expectations.
"The WTA strongly encourages everyone to be vaccinated," a WTA spokesperson said, "and it helps protect both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and returns our world to the normal state that all want." ”
The ATP said in an August statement: "We respect everyone's right to free choice, but we also believe that every player has a responsibility to help the wider group achieve safe immunity levels."
Players are called up for a webinar to illustrate the benefits of vaccination. But the players are only responsible for themselves and they will publicly say they don't want to get vaccinated. Novak Djokovic, who is number one in the world, said last year, "I don't want to be forced to get vaccinated." During the U.S. Open in August this year, he once again stressed to reporters that this was a "personal decision."
(Source: Reuters)
Meanwhile, French veteran Gilles Simon was disqualified from the U.S. Open after one of his "close contacts" tested positive for COVID-19. If he is vaccinated, he will be eligible to compete. For some players, they need to see the tangible benefits of vaccination to believe it's worth it. Simon told the Team newspaper at the time: "I didn't object to the point of resolutely not getting vaccinated, I just said I didn't think it was necessary. But a few days ago he said he was getting vaccinated.
Many female athletes were also skeptical, saying they refused to be vaccinated, but world number one Ashley Barty and former Wimbledon champion Simone Halep have both publicly said they have been vaccinated. Andy Murray has made the same move and is promoting the benefits of vaccines.
This issue will be challenged at the Australian Open, which will be held in January next year. Victoria is expected to require anyone entering Melbourne to be vaccinated, which also means that some athletes will lose their eligibility unless an exemption is granted.
Perhaps, not wanting to miss out on the first Grand Slam of the year, will be the biggest boost to the vaccination of players.