NYC - Special Privileges for the Elite
Mayor Adams has exempted a select group from the city’s vaccine mandate
The Facts: On Thursday, NYC Mayor Eric Adams exempted professional athletes and performers from the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
When asked if the policy applied to unvaccinated city employees, Adams said, “Not at this time.”
Why the Change: Adams claimed the exemption will “boost our economy…, put home teams on an equal playing field,” and, finally, move the city forward.
But the decision came after weeks of pressure from the Nets as Kyrie Irving notoriously sat on the sidelines.
It also came before the start of baseball season, when many unvaccinated Yankee and Met players (including Aaron Judge, Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, Jacob deGrom, Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis) were expected to be sidelined.
The Yankees’ and Mets’ presidents, Randy Levine and Sandy Alderson, heroically stood by the Mayor’s side as he announced the exemption at Citi Field. Alderson said, “We’re proud to partner with the mayor and his team in [this] effort.”
Additionally, last year, the Mets owner, Steven Cohen, donated $1.5 million to a PAC supporting Adams’ Mayoral Bid.
It’s always about money. Do you really think baseball oligarchs would let their stars not play in home games?
Outrage: The right used Adams’ new policy as proof of special privileges for the elite, and continued discrimination against the peasants: Adams clearly values star athletes over impotent workers like janitors and ushers.
On the left, many couldn’t stomach that there was any exemption to the vaccine mandate. The NYC Health Commissioner has advocated for an “indefinite” mandate with booster requirements
The Policy Never Made Sense: Kyrie Irving was allowed to sit on the sidelines without a mask and watch unvaccinated players from other cities dribble down the court? And 1,400 city employees, and even more private-sector employees, lost their jobs for refusing a vaccine that doesn’t even stop transmission of the virus?
My Stance: This policy doesn’t only expose hypocrisy. It exposes the left’s fundamental hierarchy.