With the end of the MLB’s negotiating lockout, teams can now get ready for a season of normal baseball… well, sort of.
Although the MLB has trended in the right direction in terms of relaxing COVID protocols (minor leaguers will not have to be vaccinated for the upcoming season), some of the cities that the MLB must play games in will still keep some pretty nonsensical mandates in place.
If any major leaguers want to play games in Toronto, they must be vaccinated - no exceptions. The Canadian government had originally made an exception for unvaccinated athletes to come into the country, but that expired in January and will not be renewed. This should not be a surprise, since the Canadian Parliament has been relentlessly cracking down on anyone that does not comply with the mandates.
Nor should it come as a surprise that New York City is another metropolis where COVID hysteria will still affect the natural flow of sports operations. If members of the New York Yankees or the New York Mets want to keep playing in their home stadiums, they have to get vaccinated.
According to the NYC Health website, anyone who works within the city has to be vaccinated - even though the thousands of fans who attend the games will not have to, nor will any visiting players or coaches.
“Workers in New York City who perform in-person work or interact with the public in the course of business must show proof that they have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Businesses may not allow any unvaccinated workers to work at their workplace,” the mandate reads.
Related: Trevor Noah Questions Non-Sensical Vaccine Mandates In NYC
While anyone who looks at this fact pattern can see that it is filled with inconsistent logic, a spokesperson for NYC mayor Eric Adams said that somehow, this will protect the citizens of NYC from major harm.
“We have to worry about the health of almost nine million people. No one is trying to hurt Kyrie Irving or a Yankees player,” the spokesperson said (Irving is facing a similar conundrum in the NBA).
While it may seem noble to want to keep people safe, nothing about this strategy is based on a desire to protect New Yorkers; it is a last-ditch effort to hold onto the control that our government and city leaders cherished for two years during the COVID pandemic.
Think about it. If you really wanted to protect nine million people, wouldn’t you require everyone to be vaccinated (all athletic personnel from both teams), and have strict protocols in play at the park? If so, why isn’t this happening?
Make it make sense, one way or another. Either have anyone be vaccinated, or let go of the power grabs once and for all.