Topline
The list of athletes and entertainers refusing work due to Covid-19 vaccination mandates continues to grow in recent days, as Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich was fired for not getting vaccinated before the state’s deadline, country music star Travis Tritt canceled performances at arenas with measures against the virus, and ESPN reporter Allison Williams shared she will leave the network due to its vaccine mandate, joining several other notable names as vocal resistors in the sports and entertainment world.
Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich is among the most prominent names to lose his job due … [+]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Key Facts
Public employees in the state of Washington had until Monday to get vaccinated, and, according to ESPN, since the university decided not to accommodate his religious exemption request, the university removed Rolovich from his position.
According to CNN, “No major denomination opposes vaccination,” despite the prevalence of exemption requests from Rolovich and others to skirt requirements.
Tritt said in a statement Monday that he will cancel all concerts at venues that require proof of vaccination, masks or a negative test, telling the Tennessean,“This is a sacrifice that I’m willing to make to stand up for the freedoms that generations of Americans have enjoyed for their entire lifetimes.”
Contrary to Tritt’s suggestion these guidelines are a new challenge to Americans’ liberty, vaccine mandates are as old as the United States itself, dating back to a method of smallpox immunization ordered by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, recently detailed by the Wall Street Journal.
Williams, who worked as a sideline reporter on ESPN college sports broadcasts, is leaving ESPN due to noncompliance with the company’s vaccine mandate, citing her not wanting the vaccine to interfere with her trying to get pregnant, according to NBC News—though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention strongly recommends that individuals who are or trying to be pregnant get the vaccine, and the agency’s website says that there is no evidence of the vaccine causing fertility issues.
Key Background
Despite widespread compliance from most members of the sports and entertainment world, Rolovich, Tritt and Williams are three more members of the outspoken minority against vaccine mandates. Star NBA player Kyrie Irving is on an indefinite leave of absence after his team, the Brooklyn Nets, suspended him for not getting vaccinated and thus being ineligible to play home games due to New York City’s mandate for indoor gyms. Williams’ ESPN colleague, Sage Steele, also openly questioned the network’s policy, calling the mandate “sick and scary,” though she did comply with the requirement. Steele was removed for air for three weeks following her comments, but returned last week.
Tangent
Vaccine resistance in athletics is not just an American problem. The Premier League announced today that 68% of players are fully vaccinated, well below the mark of major American sports leagues, as the NBA is reportedly 90% fully vaccinated, the NFL sits at 94%, and the WNBA and NHL lead the way at 99%. Top-ranked men’s player Novak Djokovic said in an interview Tuesday he may not play in the Australian Open tournament next year if there is a vaccine requirement in place.
Further Reading
The Long History of Vaccine Mandates in America (The Wall Street Journal)
