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In vaccination battles, pro athletes become proxy players

FILE - Defending men's champion Serbia's Novak Djokovic practices on Margaret Court Arena ahead of the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. Athletes have been put at center court of arguments over COVID vaccines. The NFL's Aaron Rodgers, the NBA's Kyrie Irving, and tennis's Novak Djokovic, have each become cultural touchstones in the cultural controversy. (AP Photo/Mark Baker, File) FILE - Fans of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic react outside Federal Court ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. Athletes have been put at center court of arguments over COVID vaccines. The NFL's Aaron Rodgers, the NBA's Kyrie Irving, and tennis's Novak Djokovic, have each become cultural touchstones in the cultural controversy. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File) FILE - Katie Couric arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Mark Harvey, a professor at the University of Saint Mary and author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-based Advocacy,” says a celebrity's personal connection to an issue can matter. “Today” show host Katie Couric got a colonoscopy on air in 2000 after her husband died from colon cancer, and spurred a major spike in the procedure months that followed. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) FILE - Icon award winner Elton John attends the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Thursday, May 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. Mark Harvey, a professor at the University of Saint Mary and author of “Celebrity Influence: Politics, Persuasion, and Issue-based Advocacy,” says a celebrity's personal connection to an issue can matter. Elton John talking to LGBTQ communities, especially about LGBTQ issues, might find himself heard. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) FILE - In this Nov. 16, 2019, file photo, free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick arrives for a workout for NFL football scouts and media in Riverdale, Ga. While sports have always been indivisible from politics and public conflicts, there has been a major ground shift in the years since Michael Jordan made public neutrality on all non-sports issues an essential part of his brand. Now, there is almost an expectation of advocacy, especially with the precedent set by Colin Kaepernick's protests and the embrace by many of the Black Lives Matter cause. (AP Photo/Todd Kirkland, File) FILE - People walk by a Nike advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick on display, Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, in New York. While sports have always been indivisible from politics and public conflicts, there has been a major ground shift in the years since Michael Jordan made public neutrality on all non-sports issues an essential part of his brand. Now, there is almost an expectation of advocacy, especially with the precedent set by Colin Kaepernick's protests and the embrace by many of the Black Lives Matter cause. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers smiles as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, in Green Bay, Wis. Pro athletes who have refused to be vaccinated have been put at center court in a larger contest, as proxy players in the cultural battles over COVID jabs. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer, File) FILE - Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving looks up at the fans at TD Garden after they defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 4 during an NBA basketball first-round playoff series in Boston, in this Sunday, May 30, 2021. Athletes have been put at center court of arguments over COVID vaccines. The NFL's Aaron Rodgers, the NBA's Kyrie Irving, and tennis's Novak Djokovic, have each become cultural touchstones in the cultural controversy. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File) FILE - Protesters rallying against COVID-19 vaccination mandates and in support of basketball player Kyrie Irving gather in the street outside the Barclays Center before an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021, in New York. From the NBA's Kyrie Irving missing the first months of the Brooklyn Nets' season before making a partial return, to the NFL's Aaron Rodgers going from revered veteran to polarizing figure, to a diplomatic standoff over tennis star Novak Djokovic's exemption to play in the Australian Open, sports figures have found themselves cheered and jeered as the most famous faces in fights over vaccine mandates and refusals. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
In vaccination battles, pro athletes become proxy players