A controversy that mired New York City’s professional sports teams is now lifted.
Earlier today, March 24, NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which required that all athletes and performers in the city be vaccinated against COVID in order to be eligible to play, would be lifted effective immediately.
As a result, Brooklyn Nets star player Kyrie Irving, who is unvaccinated and has so far missed all home games this season due to the mandate, will now be able to play at home. Additionally, athletes on other New York City-based teams, such as the Yankees and Mets, will also be able to play regardless of vaccination status.
“This is about putting New York city-based performers on a level playing field,” Adams said. “Day one when I was mayor, I looked at the rule that stated hometown players had an unfair disadvantage for those who were coming to visit. And immediately I felt we needed to look at that.”
Kyrie Irving is officially cleared to play in home games after NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced an exemption to the city’s vaccine mandate for pro athletes and performers pic.twitter.com/EDV2HsLeUw
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 24, 2022
Oddly, the mandate did not apply to visiting players, but only to New York City players. Thus, if a visiting player was unvaccinated, they were allowed to play in the city, but if a home player was unvaccinated (such as Irving), they would not be allowed. Now, that facet is thrown out of the window, but the mandate still applies to non-athletes and non-performers.
“We were treating our performers differently because they lived and played for home teams,” Adams said. “It’s not acceptable. This exemption has been putting our sports teams at a self-imposed competitive disadvantage. But this new order will help boost our economy.”
This season, Irving has played 20 games for the Nets, which have all been on the road due to the mandate. In those games, he is averaging 28 points, 55 assists and 4.6 rebounds. A player of his skill level is surely welcomed back on the hometown court as the Nets make their push for the playoffs.
What do you think of the mandate being lifted for athletes? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
