Report: NYC Lifting Mandate for Athletes and Performers

[timpiker]

If there is no EQUAL justice, there is no justice. 

[BitterJim]

It says a lot about how much NYC cares about the Nets when they're a contender but keeping their second best player out isn't enough to change the mandate, but as soon as the MLB is coming back it gets reversed.

[gift]

Well at least they saved all of those lives that either now don't need to be saved or don't matter enough to be saved or perhaps were never going to be saved. In any case, a great accomplishment.

[Kernewek]

As this is only being lifted for performers and athletes surely Kyrie will continue to refuse to play, as he was making a stand against people losing their jobs to mandates?
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1448479867528482818?s=20

[Celtics2021]

As this is only being lifted for performers and athletes surely Kyrie will continue to refuse to play, as he was making a stand against people losing their jobs to mandates?
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1448479867528482818?s=20

Surely.

[angryguy77]

As this is only being lifted for performers and athletes surely Kyrie will continue to refuse to play, as he was making a stand against people losing their jobs to mandates?
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1448479867528482818?s=20

I don't believe his quote was saying he's doing this in protest for people losing their jobs but rather losing jobs has been a outcome from these mandates. I could be wrong as I haven't seen the entire article reference in the tweet.

[gift]

As this is only being lifted for performers and athletes surely Kyrie will continue to refuse to play, as he was making a stand against people losing their jobs to mandates?
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1448479867528482818?s=20

I don't believe his quote was saying he's doing this in protest for people losing their jobs but rather losing jobs has been a outcome from these mandates. I could be wrong as I haven't seen the entire article reference in the tweet.

That's fair. He never said he was doing it for other people, but with other people. He's never needed a valid excuse before though. Any old excuse will do.

[Vermont Green]

Didn't everyone expect that this would come eventually?  The spread and severity of this is not as bad as it has been in the past.  So it makes sense to relax restrictions.  It doesn't mean that restrictions were bad or wrong in the first place.

And the original restrictions weren't just about people dying or not.  It was about the capacity of hospitals to care for everyone mostly.  This was especially the case in NYC.

I am not sure that Kyrie "won" anything here.  I don't get that take.

[Kernewek]

As this is only being lifted for performers and athletes surely Kyrie will continue to refuse to play, as he was making a stand against people losing their jobs to mandates?
https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1448479867528482818?s=20

I don't believe his quote was saying he's doing this in protest for people losing their jobs but rather losing jobs has been a outcome from these mandates. I could be wrong as I haven't seen the entire article reference in the tweet.

The quote comes from an Instagram Live video that's no longer live, but here are the three relevant paragraphs from the article (you will have probably seen these details posted elsewhere because so much of sports media is 'retelling').

I've broken them up to make them easier to read, but they are concurrent, I haven't edited anything out.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge of Irving’s decision have told The Athletic that Irving is not anti-vaccine and that his stance is that he is upset that people are losing their jobs due to vaccine mandates. It’s a stance that Irving has explained to close teammates. To him, this is about a grander fight than the one on the court and Irving is challenging a perceived control of society and people’s livelihood, according to sources with knowledge of Irving’s mindset. It is a decision that he believes he is capable to make given his current life dynamics. “Kyrie wants to be a voice for the voiceless,” one source said.

However, the nation’s top doctors and scientists have cleared the vaccine as safe and effective. The Center for Disease Control (CDC), American Medical Association (AMA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) state clearly that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at helping protect against severe disease and death, including from variants of the virus, while also being safe. In fact, multiple studies showed that 99 percent of people who are in intensive care units in hospitals are unvaccinated. Sources say 96 percent of NBA players are currently vaccinated. More than 3.75 billion people worldwide have received a vaccine dose. To be clear, Irving’s stance is not believed to be anti-science, according to sources.

Irving has made more than $160 million over his NBA contracts and has a massive Nike shoe endorsement deal, so those who know Irving understand he is not driven right now by money, nor cares for inheriting more, but rather the stand for larger issues in his mind that need his support. He’s a seven-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA member and former Rookie of the Year who now stands to lose over $200 million by deciding to use his platform to stand up for his stance of each and every person being able to decide for themselves on whether they should take the vaccine without impacts on job statuses. However, the fact of the matter is there are consequences for being unvaccinated in some industries and municipalities. Just as Irving wants to stick with his principle belief on the matter, policies and requirements are subject to local and federal governments.

[KG Living Legend]

Didn't everyone expect that this would come eventually?  The spread and severity of this is not as bad as it has been in the past.  So it makes sense to relax restrictions.  It doesn't mean that restrictions were bad or wrong in the first place.

And the original restrictions weren't just about people dying or not.  It was about the capacity of hospitals to care for everyone mostly.  This was especially the case in NYC.

I am not sure that Kyrie "won" anything here.  I don't get that take.

.I agree with your take VG. And Kyrie won I simply mean he held on to his beliefs,  didn't take the jab and now he can play basketball again without the jab. And he never lost money

[keevsnick]

The idea that Kyrie somehow "won" is laughable. He missed out on the all-star team and maybe all-NBA in a year during his prime, which matters at the end of your career when guys evaluate your place in league history. He also lost quite a chunk of salary this year, and also hasn't signed an extension yet reportedly ion part due to the nets being unsure of his future with the team. Not having his future contract in place is a huge risk to his future earnings. In addition his not playing was reportedly a reason Harden wanted out, so not only did he hurt his teams chances by not contributing in home games this year but he may have in fact blown up the Nets. And on top of all taht everybody pretty much thinks he's a clown besides that tiny subsection of NBA fans who also think vaccines are evil.

So to summarize:

-Missed out on all-star all-nba in a prime year.
-Lost millions in salary.
-Didn't get an extension.
-Blew up his team
-Also everybody now knows he's a clown.

I mean not even Russian State News could turn that disaster into a "win." 

[jpotter33]

Didn't everyone expect that this would come eventually?  The spread and severity of this is not as bad as it has been in the past.  So it makes sense to relax restrictions.  It doesn't mean that restrictions were bad or wrong in the first place.

And the original restrictions weren't just about people dying or not.  It was about the capacity of hospitals to care for everyone mostly.  This was especially the case in NYC.

I am not sure that Kyrie "won" anything here.  I don't get that take.

If the mayor would’ve released the mandate for all private sector employees at the same time, that’s one thing.

What gets me is the targeted lifting of the mandate for athletes and performers, especially given that athletes (particularly NBA players) are much more at risk of exposure than most other normal private industry employees.

The mayor has consistently said he doesn’t want to prioritize or give special favor to Kyrie or other celebrities/athletes regarding this mandate - yet, that’s explicitly what he’s doing here. There’s no other rational explanation for lifting the mandate for this group but not other private sector employees.

[gift]

Didn't everyone expect that this would come eventually?  The spread and severity of this is not as bad as it has been in the past.  So it makes sense to relax restrictions.  It doesn't mean that restrictions were bad or wrong in the first place.

And the original restrictions weren't just about people dying or not.  It was about the capacity of hospitals to care for everyone mostly.  This was especially the case in NYC.

I am not sure that Kyrie "won" anything here.  I don't get that take.

There’s no other rational explanation for lifting the mandate for this group but not other private sector employees.

I welcome you to the 'make it make sense' club.

[Birdman]

I say the Yankee & Mets owner probably had a hand in it

[Surferdad]

I say the Yankee & Mets owner probably had a hand in it

Some are saying this the Aaron Judge influence.
https://www.si.com/mlb/2022/03/15/aaron-judge-dodges-question-on-vaccination-status