I understand the concept of being a “Voice to The Voiceless.”
Athletes and media, for that matter, have a huge platform and, if used correctly, can shed light on many things that are swept under the rug in our society. The problem with taking that stance with vaccine mandates is it implies when it comes to employment, that is the only rule there is.
What I mean by that is when you work for a company, you sign paperwork. There are varying things that companies look for, but you may be asked to do a drug test, a background check will be completed, there may be a dress code and a million other things you have to agree to work for that company.
NBA contracts have a TON of rules, teams have their own rules, and Kyrie has been dealing with that since he has been in the NBA, so the only voiceless people he is speaking for here based on what I see is MAGA, and I don’t believe that is who he wants to be seen as the spokesman for.
The Athletic has more about why he has decided to take this stance.
Kyrie Irving believes he is fighting for something bigger than basketball — and the unintended consequences are that his mission is conflicting with his career and his franchise, the Brooklyn Nets.
The Athletic has learned through multiple sources what has been behind his stance and decision to not take the vaccine.
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.
There are honestly probably not enough rules in our society which is why we are one of the worse countries in the world. When you look at our education system, unemployment, homelessness, poverty, and gun violence, I can go on and on. We are a country that puts millions of people in debt because we don’t have free health care. Even though we are called the United States of America, we aren’t United at all.
I don’t think Kyrie is a bad guy, and I know he has done a lot of good privately and publicly, but as I always say, if you want to know if you are on the right side of history, just look at the people co-signing you. The Nets have banned him from games and practices until he is fully vaccinating. He will forfeit at least $16 million of his $33 million salary if he sits out the entire season.
Flip the page for the potential of trade of Kyrie Irving.