The sports world seems about ready to move on from the pandemic. Last week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver openly questioned New York City’s vaccine mandate, which requires that any employee of a local business participating in public indoor activities (yes, that means basketball) show proof of vaccination. Plus, as Will points out, Irving himself is continuously tested for the infectious disease, making him quite possibly the safest player jumping into the bump and grind. “Do we care about making Kyrie Irving eat it for not getting the shot that we all think he should have got, or do we care about keeping people safe?” Will also lays out the significance of a respected figure like Adam Silver – who has worked to keep the NBA going while also trying to ensure player and fan safety. But now that cases are dropping significantly and the country adopts fewer pandemic-related restrictions, we may be reaching a tipping point for the sport that begins with a tip-off — and other sports too.
