Sports

“I feel like my only option was to get vaccinated or not play in the NBA. It feels good to play, but getting vaccinated, that’s going to be something that stays in my mind for a long time. “It’s not something I wanted to do, but – I was kind of forced. I guess you don’t own your body. That’s …

Mediaite reports: Pro athletes taking on their home fanbases NEVER ends well and NFL wide receiver Cole Beasley will likely find that out after taking a recent jab at Bills Mafia. Beasley had two catches in the Buffalo Bills 40-0 shellacking of the Houston Texans on Sunday. But the treatment he received courtesy of Bills Mafia made it difficult for …

NBC News reports: Andrew Wiggins, the Golden State Warriors forward who balked being vaccinated against the coronavirus, has been vaccinated, the team’s coach said Sunday. “He just told me today that he was fine with us acknowledging it, and that will be the end of it,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters. Wiggins, who had sought a religious exemption from San …

The Associated Press reports: Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar will perform for the first time on stage together at the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show. The NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced Thursday that the five music icons will perform on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Lamar …

The sports site Yardbarker reports: NBA players may not be able to play in certain games this season if they choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine. According to the league, players who are unable to play due to vaccination status will not receive their game checks. Many have been wondering what will happen in New York City and San …

Yahoo Sports reports: First things first, there aren’t any microchips in any of the COVID-19 vaccines. This absurd theory has been debunked countless times already, and just doesn’t make sense. This, however, hasn’t stopped that theory from spreading throughout NBA locker rooms. According to Rolling Stone, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving — who has a past filled with conspiracy theories …

The Associated Press reports: U.S. athletes trying to make the Winter Olympics will have to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 under a groundbreaking new policy announced Wednesday by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. CEO Sarah Hirshland wrote in a letter that, starting Nov. 1, the USOPC will require staff, athletes and others utilizing training centers and other USOPC facilities …

ESPN reports: The Savannah Bananas, a collegiate summer league team that routinely takes a sledgehammer to conventionality, begin each home game by wrapping an infant in a banana outfit and raising the baby to the sky like Simba. The Bananas once famously played a baseball game in kilts, then decided to make it an annual tradition. They employ a pep …

The Hill reports: The Washington Nationals plan to terminate the contracts of employees who refuse to comply with their COVID-19 rules. Sources told Washington Post Nats beat reporter Jesse Dougherty that team Vice President Bob Boone, pitching coordinator Brad Holman and minor league pitching coach Larry Pardo are ending their tenure with the club. The Nationals’ vaccine mandate went into …

Changing America reports: Two NFL teams will require fans to be vaccinated to attend games. On Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills announced that all fans over the age of 12 will be required to show proof of vaccination in order to attend games. The Las Vegas Raiders previously announced it would require that fans be vaccinated to attend home games. From …

From the Columbus Blue Jackets: The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that Cleveland Monsters Associate Coach and former National Hockey League defenseman Steve McCarthy has replaced Sylvain Lefebvre as an assistant coach on Head Coach Brad Larsen’s staff. Lefebvre has decided not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and thus will not be able to perform the duties required of him …

Mediaite reports: During Sunday’s NFL season opener as the Buffalo Bills hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans kept close watch of the unvaccinated Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley. As soon as Beasley dropped a pass in the first quarter, Twitter was ready with jeers and heckles to mock the receiver who couldn’t catch a football while also believing he can’t catch …

ESPN reports: The most notable catch on Saturday during the game between No. 22 Miami and Appalachian State didn’t even happen on the field. Wasn’t even a football. It was a cat. The cat somehow got into Hard Rock Stadium, then got caught by one of its paws off the facade of the upper deck. It eventually fell to the …

ESPN reports: US Open spectators now must show proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to attend matches, a change made less than 72 hours before the tennis tournament starts. The US Tennis Association announced Friday that the New York City mayor’s office decided to require proof of vaccination to go into Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main …

CBS New York reports: Masks will not be required when the US Open tennis tournament gets underway next week in Flushing Meadows, Queens. Fans won’t need to mask up or show proof of vaccination to attend. “The goal is not to prevent all cases of COVID. The goal, really, is to be certain that we don’t have an outbreak of …

Via press release from the Las Vegas Raiders: The Las Vegas Raiders will require all attendees at home games to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination through CLEAR’s free mobile app and Health Pass feature, allowing fans to attend games without wearing a mask. The policy will take effect for the first regular season home game, September 13 against the Baltimore …

NBC News reports: At least 182 out athletes from about 30 countries attended the Tokyo Games, more than three times the number who competed in the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to the LGBTQ sports site Outsports. At least 55 of those athletes, who competed in 35 different sports, won medals — five nabbed gold for Team …

The Washington Post reports: The Tokyo Olympics concluded Sunday, with the last medals awarded and the stage ceded to the Closing Ceremonies. After the coronavirus pandemic forced a year-long delay, and created an unprecedented environment of empty venues and ever-present restrictions, the Games were held in their entirety without many significant disruptions once they finally got underway. Team USA finished …

Mediaite reports: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins returned to the team after being forced to miss four practices because of COVID protocols. Cousins decided not to get vaccinated against the virus, putting him under a different set of rules than players who did receive the jab. “I’ve even thought about, should I just set up, literally, plexiglass around where I …

NBC News reports: The United States beat Australia 4-3 on Thursday, sealing a women’s soccer bronze medal in what could be a final prize in the international careers of several iconic American stars. Carli Lloyd and Megan Rapinoe sealed the Olympic medal for Team USA with two goals apiece in Kashima, aided by a late defensive effort to survive a …