Churches have been shut down. Synagogues have been closed. Priests and Rabbis have been threatened with arrest. Bars and restaurants have been shuttered. Business owners who have been trying to put food on their family’s tables have been arrested. Schools are closed. Colleges have sent their students home. But the game must go on.
Last night, star third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Justin Turner was curiously pulled out of game 6 of the World Series in the 7th inning. At first, fans believed that it was another brilliant in-game line-up change by manager Dave Roberts, but it later came to light that Turner had tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to leave the game.
This was even more of a head-scratcher than Kevin Cash pulling Blake Snell out after 5 1/3 of two-hit shut-out innings. A lot of questions came to mind. Is the MLB testing players during the game? Was this a test he had taken pre-game and the results finally came back 5 hours later, in the 7th inning? Why isn’t the MLB using rapid response tests prior to these games? Did the Dodgers and Turner intentionally violate MLB Covid-19 protocol?
What was even more curious is that following the game after the positive test was confirmed, Turner was out on the field without a mask on, taking pictures and celebrating the win with his teammates, kissing his wife on the lips. Apparently, the Dodgers players and organization okayed Turner coming back out on the field because they believed it was more important for him to celebrate the victory than keep people safe from Covid-19.
This is a surprising turn-around from May and June when many players were posturing about putting their lives on the line to play a game. Blake Snell said at the time, “Play for the love of the game, man, what's wrong with you?' I'm risking my life.” But now, apparently, Major League Baseball players believe it’s okay to put your life on the line to celebrate winning the game.
We have been told for months that we must follow the science when it comes to Covid-19, and anyone who questions the official narrative are anti-science Neanderthals who want to kill people.
The reason why most people who question the science do so, is that the science has been grossly inconsistent. We locked the country down for months, putting people’s lives, livelihood and the economy into a death spiral because slowing the spread of Covid-19 was the only thing that mattered. That was the official scientific position until George Floyd died, and Black Lives Matter riots broke out throughout our country which killed over 30 people and caused billions of dollars of damage.
Our leading “scientist” in the fight against Covid-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci, refused to take a scientific stand against the riots in the name of stopping the virus. When pressed by Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on whether we should limit protesting, Dr. Fauci replied. “I’m not going to opine on limiting anything.” Even though, he has said, “you should stay away from crowds”, and opined on whether we should shut restaurants and close schools.
Is science suspended during riots? Does Covid-19 discriminate on who it infects based on whether you are praying in a church or throwing a Molotov cocktail at the church? Does a Black Lives Matter t-shirt ward off the spread of Covid-19 better than an N-95 mask? Does a “Dodger World Champion” hat provide greater protection than quarantining?
The one thing I know about science is that science is not hypocritical. The immutable scientific laws of the universe apply to everyone. Gravity, for example, affects everyone the same way. Anyone who jumps off the Empire State Building falls to the pavement. No one floats above the city because they happen to support social justice or won a sports championship. But the scientific laws of Covid appear to be mutable, affecting certain people differently based on their cause or status. And it is that hypocrisy about Covid-19 and its protocols which cause people to “question the science”.
Most people don’t follow the science because the scientists don’t even follow the science. Dr. Fauci who has been a proponent of mandatory mask wearing in public was seen at a Washington Nationals game not wearing a mask. He claimed he took it down to drink water, even though there is no drink in his hand or in the drink holder in the picture.
The fact of the matter is that the flu is a greater threat to the players on the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays than Covid-19. That’s what the science and the infectious disease statistics say.
Was anyone up in arms during the 1997 NBA Finals when Michael Jordan played the entire game with a 103 temperature fighting the flu. How many players and fans did he infect and how many of their lives did he put in jeopardy by playing that game. His performance goes down NBA history as one of the all-time great games. He was glorified not vilified. But if you go into a store without a mask or try to open your business to feed your family, in some states, you will be arrested.
The good news is that this will go away. A week from now when the lockdowns and the misery from Covid-19 can no longer be mined to sway people’s vote in the upcoming Presidential election, the American people will want to get back to life as normal, and they like the Los Angeles Dodgers will suddenly see Covid-19 for what it is, not any more of a threat to people under the age of 70 without an underlying medical condition than the virus Michael Jordan fought through to put up 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists to defeat the Utah Jazz 90-88 in 1997.
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Judd Garrett is a former NFL player, coach, and executive. He is a frequent contributor to the website Real Clear Politics. He has recently published his first novel, No Wind.