COVID, vaccines, politics, and the NBA

[Mori Chu]

Hey all,

With this season coming, we're already seeing contentious issues crop up that intersect with partisan politics. The big example is all the hubbub about COVID and vaccines. Some teams, arenas, and cities/states are instituting various restrictions and mandates, and some players are choosing not to take a COVID vaccine or follow various other restrictions. This has already led to bit of back-and-forth in our threads where people are injecting their political views and/or criticizing or insulting folks who don't hold the same views. I have been guilty of this myself.

I just want to explicitly lay out my goal and hope for this site in the coming season: Let's try to keep political BS and attacks out of the Suns/NBA area.

I want us to try our hardest to keep the Suns/NBA area neutral and free of political squabbling. We have people of all kinds of political persuasions here on the site, including several folks outside the USA, and I just want the main area to be a place for everyone. It's fine to talk about these topics, like if Kyrie gives a press conference or is / isn't at media day or whatever. But I want us to stop short of going after each other or going after groups based on their politics.

If you want to have those kinds of conversations, great! Head on over to the Politics area; it's all fair game over there. I'll be happy to give you a piece of my mind, too. (What's left of it after chasing around 3 young kids all day...)

Got any other thoughts on this topic? Reply here and let's discuss.

[Flagrant Fowl]

No shade your direction Mori, but I'm confident this topic will be irrelevant by opening night, probably sooner than that.

NBA players aren't going to forfeit their game checks. If some are, they're too dumb to warrant a serious discussion.

[Drewsprocket]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

[Indy]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

They don't have to be. The NBA can't force them without getting NBPA approval, and so far they have said no way.

But some cities (SF and NYC so far) have required them to be vaccinated to play--at least for the home team.


And I can completely see Kyrie sitting out a ton of games to try and prove a point. And honestly I don't see Brooklyn caring too much about not paying him to play in home games until they get closer to March/April/May.

[Drewsprocket]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

They don't have to be. The NBA can't force them without getting NBPA approval, and so far they have said no way.

But some cities (SF and NYC so far) have required them to be vaccinated to play--at least for the home team.


And I can completely see Kyrie sitting out a ton of games to try and prove a point. And honestly I don't see Brooklyn caring too much about not paying him to play in home games until they get closer to March/April/May.

At some point I’d expect KD to go full Draymond on him. He plays all cool now. But year 2 of his baloney he will start seeing his selfishness.

[Suns_Dave]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

Unfortunately, the consequences of another team's unvaccinated player carrying the virus and infecting others could mean OUR guys miss time. We've already had like what, 4 players out due to COVID? And we know at least some of them had been vaccinated, if not all. The vaccine protects, but it doesn't make you invulnerable. Let's be careful what we wish for.

[In2ition]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

Unfortunately, the consequences of another team's unvaccinated player carrying the virus and infecting others could mean OUR guys miss time. We've already had like what, 4 players out due to COVID? And we know at least some of them had been vaccinated, if not all. The vaccine protects, but it doesn't make you invulnerable. Let's be careful what we wish for.

This makes it seem that it is believed that only and all unvaccinated can and most likely do carry and transmit covid. This is frustrating.

[Indy]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

Unfortunately, the consequences of another team's unvaccinated player carrying the virus and infecting others could mean OUR guys miss time. We've already had like what, 4 players out due to COVID? And we know at least some of them had been vaccinated, if not all. The vaccine protects, but it doesn't make you invulnerable. Let's be careful what we wish for.

This makes it seem that it is believed that only and all unvaccinated can and most likely do carry and transmit covid. This is frustrating.

It is harder to spread if you have been vaccinated because of the viral load you would be shedding. So, yes, like current hospitalizations and deaths in this country due to Covid, it is 90% unvaccinated people causing this.

[In2ition]

I am so into seeing if our competitors are affected by this. This is such an obvious unforced error that could have some impact. You have to be fully vaxxed and as far as we know people like Kyrie and Wiggins are facing missing the start of the season. They basically have this week to get their shot to not miss any time. Im all for people losing their footing in the playoffs and idiocy having consequences in this regard.

Unfortunately, the consequences of another team's unvaccinated player carrying the virus and infecting others could mean OUR guys miss time. We've already had like what, 4 players out due to COVID? And we know at least some of them had been vaccinated, if not all. The vaccine protects, but it doesn't make you invulnerable. Let's be careful what we wish for.

This makes it seem that it is believed that only and all unvaccinated can and most likely do carry and transmit covid. This is frustrating.

It is harder to spread if you have been vaccinated because of the viral load you would be shedding. So, yes, like current hospitalizations and deaths in this country due to Covid, it is 90% unvaccinated people causing this.

Not according to these:

(anti-vax links deleted by admin)

[Mori Chu]

Guys, I respect your opinions, but this is the sort of conversation I explicitly don't want to have in the Suns/NBA area. Now this thread has anti-vax twitter links and misinformation in it. I'm going to delete those, and I'll lock this thread. I am more than happy for all of you to express these opinions and talk about this topic in detail, but let's do it in the Politics area please. Sorry for censoring and shaping the discussion, but even though the COVID topic affects the NBA, this is the sort of back-and-forth that I think belongs under Politics.