For months, sports organizations encouraged—but did not require—athletes to get the shot. They offered the advice of their medical professionals, organized listening sessions, and created incentives for players, such as looser masking and distancing restrictions. They even emphasized competitive advantages for individuals and whole teams. But like many employers across the country, the leagues always stopped short of a mandate.
That’s all changing now. Litigation continues over a vaccine mandate for New York City public school teachers and other school workers. Meanwhile, federal workers are staring down October and early November deadlines to schedule their vaccine appointments. Federal government contractors have to be in compliance by December.
Professional sports leagues still aren’t imposing their own mandates on athletes. But now the demands are coming from a powerful source: state and local laws that individual teams have found that they are subject to.
Both New York City and San Francisco have mayoral orders in place that require all local players—and any fans—to be vaccinated in order to be in an indoor venue for a sports event.
