Sports 3 Omar Cook Sports 3 Omar Cook

NBA Players Stand Up For Themselves Against Taking The Covid Vaccine

Several high profile NBA players are catching major media attention after speaking out against taking the vaccine. Their decision could cost them millions, but they are standing tall on their beliefs.

 
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac addressed the media September 27, about his personal beliefs on refusing the vaccine.

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac addressed the media September 27, about his personal beliefs on refusing the vaccine.

By: Omar Cook

As the world adjusts to new societal norms, and covid vaccine mandates across different work industries, we are seeing people rebel and risk their careers to stand up for what they believe in. The pandemic is something never before seen in our lifetime and everyone is doing what they feel is necessary to protect themselves. With a history of medical malpractice, lies, and injustice towards Black Americans in this country, it is not uncommon to see people reject the vaccine due to their fears of potential long term side effects.

The NBA has caught major attention after several high profile players have decided to speak out against taking the vaccine. The league currently cannot require players to be vaccinated after the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) rejected the NBA’s proposal for a mandate.

"A vaccine mandate for NBA players would need an agreement with the Players Association," league spokesperson Mike Bass said. "The NBA has made these proposals but the players' union has rejected any vaccination requirement."

Players such as Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins, and Jonathan Isaac have been vocal about their beliefs to refuse the vaccine and are standing ten toes down on their decision despite heavy criticism from mainstream media and fans. At a September 27 press conference, Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac articulately stated his reasons for not taking the vaccine.

"I'm not anti-Vax. I'm not anti-medicine. I'm not anti-science," Issac said. "I have nothing but the utmost respect for every health care worker in person in Orlando, and all across the world that has worked tirelessly to keep us safe. My mom has worked in healthcare for a really long time. I thank God I'm grateful that I live in a society where vaccines are possible, and we can protect ourselves and have the means to protect ourselves for the first in the first place."

"I'm not ashamed to say that I'm uncomfortable with taking the vaccine at this time. I think that we're all different. We all come from different places, we've all had different experiences, and hold dear to different beliefs," he said. "What it is that you do with your body when it comes to putting medicine in there should be your choice, free of the ridicule and the opinion of others."

Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins faces the possibility of losing more than $350,000 per game if he is unable to play home games due to San Francisco’s indoor vaccine mandate. It could result in him missing half of the season.

“Back is definitely against the wall, but I’m just going to keep fighting for what I believe,” Wiggins said at media day. “I’m going to keep fighting for what I believe is right. What’s right to one person isn’t right to the other and vice versa.”

His teammate Draymond Green showed support at a press conference stating:

"It's not my place or my business on whether he gets vaccinated or not — it's your own personal choice at the end of the day what you do with your body. It's not my place to tell him what he should or shouldn't do with his. Because he's not going to come tell me what I should do with my body."

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving was not able to attend the team's media day at Barclays Center on Monday due to New York City's COVID-19 protocols, and he repeatedly declined to address his vaccination status or what his plans were for it in the future. Kyrie has been heavily ridiculed in the media in the past few years for his personal thoughts and beliefs but he has always remained adamant about his thoughts.

Kyrie also faces the possibility of losing half of his expected $36.6 million as will not be able to play in home games in New York due to vaccine mandates.

This is only the beginning of what will be a media frenzy and the ultimate villainization of players who refuse to take the vaccine. The push and pull between being unvaccinated and vaccinated has become extremely political and the freedom of choice is rapidly being taken away, especially for those who would like to keep a job.

At the end of the day, every individual should have the right to choose what to put into their body, and every individual should be responsible for properly doing what is necessary to protect themselves, which includes working out, eating properly, and building up your natural immune system. We have become reliant on medical experts to come save the day with a magical vaccine instead of preaching daily health tips and living a healthier lifestyle. This country has a history of segregation and it is slowly moving from racial to medical segregation as media outlets further push the agenda to get vaccinated. Time will tell what is to come…stand tall on your beliefs.

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Sensationalism Sucks: Why Kyrie Irving is a Punching Bag for Mainstream Media

Kyrie Irving has been at the center of media sensationalism throughout his entire career, but mainstream media rarely covers his positive contributions to humanity, like most recently purchasing a home for George Floyd’s family. Why? We discuss it here!

 
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Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

By: Baigen Seawell

While one can say that some sports talk narratives are old, tired and ridiculous, it’s what gets clicks. We’ve seen it many a times in situations that just make you scratch your head. From Kaepernick to James Harden, once the most impressionable narrative hits mainstream waves, it’s hard to change it.

Kyrie Irving is, and has pretty much always been an agent of change. His most recent contribution brought to the forefront has been his buying of a home for the family of George Floyd. While this act was pretty much unheard of until Stephen Jackson brought this to the forefront, people still find reasons to hate Kyrie. 

See here with Jackie McMullan calling him “property” of his owners due to them granting him the million dollar salary he generates:

Or here where he was thought to be the reason for the Celtics demise.

It’s nothing new for Kyrie to be the scapegoat of everyone’s problems when he’s on your favorite team. Since his days in Cleveland, he’s been catching flack for his contributions (or lack thereof) to his team and the teammates around him. 

“He’s not likable.”

“He’s not a team player.”

“He’s not a leader.” And those words are thought to come right out of his mouth according to some sources. 

And while this could be arguably true… is it all on Kyrie? While in Boston, he can’t be the sole reason for the team falling apart. Former Celtic, Cedric Maxwell says that Irving wasn’t the sole reason for the Celtics falling apart. “This group was the most dysfunctional team I've seen since 1983, when we had four Hall of Famers on our roster and got swept by the Milwaukee Bucks. These guys never found a way to be on the same page.” He told ESPN. 

In Cleveland, it was only inevitable that he would be traded. He called it himself. 

But this go round. Boy, oh boy. This go round has been the biggest sensationalist dumpster fire of them all. While NBA media outlets are great for pushing a narrative that will gain traction for the most minuscule things, they have just been rolling with some of the most outrageous things to hit the airwaves. 

How the Dumpster Caught Fire

Sensationalism stems from the desire to gain as many clicks as possible with little to no research in the process of creating a narrative for those to follow. As the times change, more and more media outlets have gravitated to this mode of media because of the quick attention spans we have today.

Sports in particular are not interesting to everyone. The performance of an athlete after his or her game may not interest everyone. But throw something in like someone kneeling during the national anthem or losing 50 pounds in 48 hours after leaving a team they absolutely hate, and you’ve got impressions from sports fans and non sports fans of the like. 

In the midst of social injustice and one of the most polarizing moments in United States history, Irving, one of few athletes, chose to sit out for the 2020 NBA Bubble Season. His reasoning was fair, being as though the country was in ruins. Irving, who sits on the NBAPA Executive Committee as the Vice President, has more than enough jurisdiction to start this dialogue. While he was the outlier, he did receive support, but not without scrutiny. 

Sports fans would argue that once again, Kyrie is not thinking about the collective, only thinking about himself. But rather, he has shown time and time again that he is thinking about the collective. His M.O. was on the biggest picture there is while showing that athletes are indeed... more than athletes. This would not be the main mode of discussion by NBA enthusiasts and “casual fans” though, it would rather be again highlighting his selfishness. 

Fast forward a few months, we begin the abbreviated NBA 2020-21 Season. Kyrie would choose to not only sit out in the beginning, but not discuss any matters with media outlets or points of contact. He would even choose to skip out on media day for the Nets. And for what it’s worth, he had every right to do this! 

However he eventually came back and when playing against the Celtics, he was seen smudging. or burning sage during pregame warm-ups. No one cared to take five seconds to see that he has ties to the Standing Rock Sioux, they’d rather label it witchcraft instead. 

Again the masses took it and ran with it, causing an uproar of additional commentary to the Nets Guard. 

This goes on over and over like a constant cycle of commentary that seems to never end by anyone who feels compelled to pick it up. However, most people will find it easier to gravitate to the main outlets and outrageous stories because it seems more appealing to consume than say...

His contributions by paying for Lincoln University students tuition. 

Or him donating to the WNBA players who opted out for the Bubble season...

Or maybe him helping provide free meals valued at around $250,000 for New York City Residents. 

All the while he was burned at the stake for avoiding the yellow journalism and those who feed the narratives, helping them grow into the dumpster fires they are today. 

One thing about narratives in sports and sports media is that athletes are able to easily create one... about as easy as mainstream outlets can formulate their own while letting consumers catalyze it for their own corporate gains. 

Kyrie plays the game and plays it well. He creates his narrative and letting his actions speak for itself. While you can’t control the masses as to how they interpret his actions, he can control what and how he chooses to interact with it.

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Kyrie Irving Covers Tuition Costs for 9 Lincoln University Students

NBA stars across the board did not disappoint this holiday season when it came to paying it forward. The latest act of service comes from NBA veteran Kyrie Irving, who paid off the tuition of nine Lincoln University students.

 
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Kyrie Irving Covers Tuition Costs for 9 Lincoln University Students

By: Tialena Evans

NBA stars across the board did not disappoint this holiday season when it came to paying it forward. The latest act of service comes from NBA veteran Kyrie Irving, who paid off the tuition of nine Lincoln University students. 

The Athletics Shams Charnia broke the news on Twitter Thursday (December 31). 

“Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving paid off the college tuition of nine students from an HBCU (Lincoln University) on Dec. 10 as part of his foundation's 11 days of giving in December”. Charnia tweeted.

In the fog of an unprecedented time and a crumbling economy, this generous contribution came in perfect time to help provide college seniors with a bit of financial relief this school year and prepare themselves for their bright futures. 

“I’m grateful for all you young leaders,” he said during a virtual call with the students. “I wouldn’t be sitting in my position and embracing who I am without knowing where I come from and people helping me along the way, so just paying it forward. I’ve committed to my service a long time ago and I’m walking the steps now and I want the same for others.”

The Brooklyn Nets guard has maintained this positive energy throughout all of 2020. Amidst the fight against racial inequality and a growing pandemic earlier in the year, Irving continuously finds ways to contribute his resources to others the best way he knows possible.

In March 2020, he announced his pledge to donate $323,000 to Feeding America, with Lineage Logistics matching up to $200,000 in donations as well. He also announced his partnership with City Harvest to donate 250,000 meals across the greater New York Area.

The NBA star also contributed $1.5 million to assist with the salaries of WNBA players who made the tough decision to sit out of the 2020 season due to their concerns regarding the coronavirus or the heightened racial tension looming around the country.

Irving is just one of many big names who continue to do great things on and off the court. It’s a type of refreshing story that will never go out of style.

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