i’m taking your personal choice, personally.

 y’all. *deep, exasperated sigh*

before i dive into my rant, i’d first like to highlight the REAL progressive league in professional sports- the WNBA. shout out to the W for nearing a 100% vaccination rate for players & staff. because of course the women are leading the way. we always do.

in my January 18, 2021 blog, i asked Mr. Silver if he was even somewhat embarrassed for how poorly the NBA has handled the coronavirus pandemic. that was 8 months ago. EIGHT. and as we prepare for the start of the new season it’s apparent that if Silver doesn’t feel embarrassed, he should be. 

to ME, it’s quite embarrassing that the loudest voices in the room are the misinformed ones. those voices are spewing misinformation found in the underbellies of YouTube and fuzzy Facebook posts. star players are outright refusing to get vaccinated, dubbing any type of mandate a “non-starter”.

further, players are prepared to skip games in cities where vaccinations are mandated, thus affecting the on-court product & skewing the competitiveness of the league altogether. (cc: Silver- this mean the money will be looking funny, honey.)

so now you have a small, but loud group of players attempting to dictate the livelihood of the many. because not only is their refusal to get vaccinated a “personal choice”, it’s a “personal choice” that impacts their teammates, their coaches and other staff, the team front office, fans, and the league as a whole.

with a plethora of verified and certified information and research at the helm, you decide that your belief in a government conspiracy supplants the need to protect yourself and others from a virus that has claimed millions of lives in roughly 18 months. 

i’m sorry, but i’d rather listen to a scientist over Jonathan Isaac regarding the efficacy of the vaccine. now when it comes to basketball… i’d still listen to someone else over Jonathan Isaac actually. but moving on,

i’m incredibly befuddled at how any of these players can look Karl-Anthony Towns, who lost his mother and six other family members due to coronavirus, in the face with their conspiracy theories & not feel remotely ashamed of their behavior. how can you look at anyone negatively impacted by this virus and say with a straight face that your choice was effectuated by a YouTube video created by BillyQuestionsEverything1776?

there are two new variants of this virus circulating, hospital beds are FULL, and the poor, marginalized, & uninsured still continue to die needlessly from coronavirus. 

so i say this with all disrespect, because y’all cannot fight me- if you refuse to get vaccinated, you should not be playing. period. make it your personal choice to stay home & away from society since you lack the common decency to protect yourself & others. losing game checks & incentives should be a small price you’re willing to pay for your personal choice. 

please understand, you are not the only person affected by your personal choice.

it’s incumbent upon Silver to get this “non-starter” option off the bench. a player’s personal choice to refuse to be vaccinated should trigger the NBA’s business decision to sit players out until they comply. players need to be vaccinated. & if they can’t name Jesus or His 5 greatest hits, the religious exemption cannot be utilized.

i implore the NBA to actually be the progressive league it claims to be.

basketball is expendable, lives are not.