Both players, who are unvaccinated, have since been traded. Kansas City Royals players Andrew Benintendi, left, and Whit Merrifield celebrate scoring against the Detroit Tigers on July 2, 2022. Merrifield’s stance about changing his mind to play in the postseason made him the target of some criticism from Royals fans, who have seen the team languish near the bottom of the American League all season. Two-time All-Star Whit Merrifield, who is unvaccinated but said he would get his shots if it meant playing in the postseason, was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays. border - two of which were traded in the past week, one of them to the Blue Jays themselves. The Kansas City Royals were the most extreme example, losing 10 players ahead of their trip north of the U.S. Several teams have gone to Canada this season without some of their best players. One of the wild card contenders in the American League, the Toronto Blue Jays, are fully vaccinated as a team and visiting players who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are not allowed to enter Canada. Vaccination Status Adds Twist to MLB Trade DeadlineĪs the Major League Baseball trade deadline approached, for anybody involved in the American League playoff race, one question was added to the number of things to consider when making a move: A player’s vaccination status. Additional home games would also come in the playoffs Toronto last year had three home playoff games in the first round against the Philadelphia 76ers, who were without guard Matisse Thybulle, who as of the postseason was not fully vaccinated. Toronto also has exhibition home games scheduled in Edmonton against the Utah Jazz, in Montreal against the Boston Celtics, and at home against the Chicago Bulls. The Raptors will play 41 home games in the regular season, as tradition dictates. ![]() But as you mentioned, you never know what’s coming.” I think it’s going to seem, as it essentially did for most of the playoffs, very much like the pre-COVID protocols we were following then. … But I don’t see much more beyond that, at least right now. To the extent there are relatively simple things we can do to reduce risk of transmission, we would do those as well. But in the bowels of the arena, where people are proximate and trainers and others are working on players. ![]() Silver added “my assumption is there would probably be some mask-wearing - not required of fans, unless local municipalities require it. “And to the extent a player or a member of the staff is positive, they would then, whatever the state of the protocols are then, whether there’s antivirals available to them, but certainly they would be separated from the team.” The league had a 95 percent vaccination rate last season but most of the attention was focused on one player in particular who was famously unvaccinated, Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving, who missed most of his team’s home games in the regular season because of New York City mandates that were eventually lifted.Īs for health and safety protocols next season, “what it looks like to me is people who are symptomatic would test, and would be tested quickly,” Commissioner Adam Silver said during the start of the NBA Finals - an event he missed the final two games of after testing positive for COVID himself. Yahoo Sports earlier this summer reported the league will not have a mandate for vaccination next season, a continuation of last season’s policy. Toronto Raptors fans fill Scotiabank Arena for a game. Canada’s mandate for incoming foreign travelers to be vaccinated has been an issue all season for Major League Baseball, most notably when 10 Kansas City Royals did not travel to a recent weekend series with the rest of their teammates. The NBA told teams this week that players who are not fully vaccinated and have not been given a medical clearance will be barred from traveling to play the Raptors. NBA: Vaccine Mandate Still in Effect for Travel to CanadaĬanada’s vaccination policy for travelers will mean a continuation of last year’s NBA policy for players who would have to miss games at the Toronto Raptors, according to multiple reports. Here is a look at where things stand.Ĭlick here for the latest on COVID-19’s Effect on the Sports-Event Industry. ![]() Nearly every major sporting event has been canceled, moved or postponed. The coronavirus outbreak has forced difficult decisions for the sports-event industry.
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