Soakin’ in the Tubb: Professional sports is a privilege, not a right

By JAMES TUBB on October 1, 2021.

People don’t actually believe it’s a right to play professional sports, do they?

There are a lot of basic human rights we all deserve simply for being on this Earth. According to the United Nations, there are 30 basic human rights. Some are, right to life, no slavery, rights to own things, to assemble, to work and have education and more. Believe it or not, attending or participating in sporting events isn’t a right. It’s a privilege, simple as that.

Newly acquired Edmonton Oiler Duncan Keith spoke Friday and said he was frustrated he had to take the COVID vaccine in order to play hockey. He also said he wishes the NHL players association would have pushed back more for the guys that, “felt strong in their belief for different reasons whether to get it or not.”

Is he serious? Is this the mindset of a 38-year-old who has been regarded for his leadership qualities throughout his career and will likely end up in the hockey Hall of Fame for his on-ice abilities and off ice ‘character?’ Keith is supposed to be a leader for an Edmonton team that can’t get over the playoff hump yet he publicly complains about getting a vaccine that saves lives in one of the COVID hot zones in the entire country.

If Kieth reached out to Bo Horvat with the Vancouver Canucks, who had COVID alongside his wife and baby, maybe he would have feel a little differently. He actually doesn’t even have to branch out that far; Oilers goalie Alex Stalock will miss this season due to a heart condition that came from having COVID.

But no, instead the NHL veteran waited until the last second to get his vaccine and as a result was late for Oilers training camp. In his presser as well, Keith said he feels he’s done a lot to keep his immune system strong and healthy.

The worst part is, he’s not even the NHL’s worst COVID story. New York Islander Bode Wilde tempted fate with GM Lou Lamoriello when he said he hoped his human rights were enough to let him play. He was sent to a Swedish league far from the NHL, but is still playing hockey.

Mackenzie Blackwood with the New Jersey Devils and Tyler Bertuzzi with the Detroit Red Wings have also declined to get their vaccines. Both are handicapping their teams and potentially putting everyone in their organizations in danger because getting a vaccine is supposedly infringing on their rights as a hockey player.

Blackwood says he has health reasons as to why he hasn’t gotten it yet but indicated he might still get it. Bertuzzi, on the other hand, is flat out refusing it, citing a life choice not to. Detroit general manager and hockey legend Steve Yzerman says he won’t force him to get it and the team will just play without him when they cross into Canada, since anyone with the NHL entering Canada has to be vaccinated and any players who aren’t, lose pay for every day they are inactive. This will equal $450,000 in lost income for Bertuzzi because he does not want to get a vaccine that was created to save lives.

The Red Wings aren’t off the hook here as they could suspend the potential super-spreader, but instead have chosen to play Russian roulette with a mediocre NHL star.

There are people dying in hospitals right now, crying for loved ones and saying they regret not getting the vaccine before succumbing to a virus that many thought wasn’t real.

So many others can’t even get into the hospital with heart attacks or injuries from a car crash because most ICU beds are packed with COVID patients. Yet certain NHLers and other professional athletes get to forgo a vaccine that 3.56 billion others have taken, and they continue to earn millions.

And they want fans to side with them? Why cater to a group that just happens to be putting everyone else in danger? Whose feelings are we trying to spare?

Instead of worrying about whether Tyler Bertuzzi feels like he needs a vaccine for his ‘too strong’ body, why not just keep him off the ice altogether? He clearly doesn’t care about the players around him, or their families, or the lives of those paying hundreds of dollars to watch him play a game in the middle of a pandemic.

Playing pro sports is a privilege. Someone should remind these players.

James Tubb is a sports reporter for the Medicine Hat News. Feedback can be sent to jtubb@medicinehatnews.com