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Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Texas Rangers have announced their intention to fill Globe Life Field to 100% capacity this season.
President Joe Biden thinks they are making a mistake.
In an interview with ESPN that aired Wednesday night, Biden highlighted the importance of masks, vaccines and safety protocols for MLB on the cusp of opening day. He was frank in evaluating the plan for the entire Rangers stadium:
“Well that’s a decision they made. I think it’s a mistake,” Biden said. “They should listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, scientists and experts. But I think it’s not responsible. “
The full interview can be seen here:
The Rangers remain the only team to announce plans for 100% capacity crowds, but they’re unlikely to be on their own until the end of the season, or even the All-Star break. Other leagues have an interest in doing the same; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said on Tuesday he hopes to see each team with full stadiums when the NFL season kicks off in September.
While many health experts have expressed concern over the Rangers’ 100% capacity announcement, the team has made progress thanks to a decision by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to reopen the state without restrictions.
The Rangers held their first game with 100% licensed capacity at Globe Life Field on Tuesday. Only 12,911 spectators (Globe Life Field capacity: 40,000) showed up for a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Vaccines have been another issue for MLB teams, which have seen some players express reluctance to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for a variety of reasons. The same problem has been seen in the NBA. MLB has tried to get players and teams to get everyone vaccinated, offering to relax restrictions for fully vaccinated players and teams that reach 85% of fully vaccinated Level 1 employees.
Biden hopes players will listen to the league:
When asked how he would advise players who might be hesitant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Biden said, “I would say I’m President of the United States and have been vaccinated. I don’t have an unimportant job. take the vaccine if I thought it would hurt me? We have done incredible research on vaccines and they have shown that they work. We need to get to the point where enough people have taken the vaccine that we decrease the possibility of it spreading. “
Biden reportedly ‘firmly’ backing MLBPA response to Georgia election law
President Biden also addressed the controversial Georgia voting law, which was enacted last week and introduced several new restrictions on voters. Opponents, including Biden, criticized the bill as an outrage against civil rights.
Biden dubbed his description of the bill as “Jim Crow in the 21st Century” and said he would “strongly support” a decision by the MLB Players Association to protest the law. MLBPA executive director Tony Clark has indicated that the union will be open to a discussion about withdrawing from the 2021 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
Response from Biden:
“People are looking to them,” Biden said, referring to professional athletes and their oversized platforms. “They are leaders. Look at what happened with the NBA too. Look at what happened in all areas. The people who have been the victims the most are the people who are the leaders in these different sports, and that is just not correct. Here is Jim Crow on steroids, what they do in Georgia and 40 other states. What is it? Imagine passing a law banning the supply of water or food to someone queuing to vote. Can’t do that? Come on. Or are you going to close the polling station at 5 pm when people have just come down? ‘prevent people who work with whom I grew up from voting. ”
The NBA made a similar move in 2016 when it moved its 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte after North Carolina adopted its infamous bathroom bill, which required transgender people to use a gender-matched toilet. on their birth certificate. The All-Star Game eventually returned to Charlotte in 2019 after a partial repeal of the bill.
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