Contrary to their strong support for issues such as Black Lives Matter, some of the NBA’s biggest stars are reportedly reluctant to engage in public campaigns aimed at promoting vaccination against Covid-19.
ESPN cites sources that many elite basketball stars are afraid to add their names to the league-sponsored public service campaigns to promote the safety and effectiveness of vaccination against a virus that has claimed nearly half a million lives in the US.
According to the report from the popular American sports shop, factors involved in the discussion of some players include the uncertainty about taking the vaccine and unwillingness to help the NBA amid criticism over the year’s plans for an All. -Star match.
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The apparent hesitation comes despite the NBA working to inform teams about the vaccine’s effectiveness, as well as public service announcements already being made with basketball icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich .
Reports from the US show that black Americans are vaccinated at a significantly lower percentage than those of the white population, due to issues that include accessibility and inequalities in health care, but also higher mistrust in the black community.
Some people believe that more visible and outspoken public support from stars in the NBA – where a large majority of players are African-Americans – can help solve the problem.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said earlier “in the African-American community there was a huge impact from Covid … but now, somewhat perversely, there was a huge resistance [to vaccinations] in the African-American community for understandable historical reasons. ‘
“If this resistance continues, it will be a double whammy for the black community, because the only way out of this pandemic is to be vaccinated.”
The apparent unwillingness of big NBA stars to become public with the promotion of vaccines contrasts with their voting activity on issues such as Black Lives Matter.
Back in December, the biggest current name in basketball, LA Lakers star LeBron James, was urged by US Surgeon General Jerome Adams to take the Pfizer anti-Covid vaccine public because ‘we want to make sure people understand how we end the pandemic. ”
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NBA chief Silver said this week that the league will not do so “Jump the line” in front of the general public for players to get vaccinations, but added that stars could start receiving doses from the end of March.
According to the latest reports, more than 57 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the US, reaching just over 12 percent of the population.