OBJ tests positive as sports leagues teeter with outbreaks
Professional sports are going through the same nightmare as the rest of the country right now: the combination of initial vaccinations wearing off and new variants is resulting in a sharp increase in COVID cases. Combine that with far better access to far better tests, and the three North American sports leagues currently in season are experiencing record COVID levels.
Two NFL stars were among those who tested positive on Tuesday, according to reports: Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.
The leagues, which all claim 90% or greater vaccination rates, have been hesitant to shut down competition, only postponing Bulls games when a whopping 10 Chicago players were infected in that team’s outbreak. But more NBA games are likely to be postponed.
The Rams shut their facility after a batch of positives including Beckham and Jalen Ramsey, who tested positive before LA’s Monday night win over the Cardinals.
An NFL-record 37 players tested positive Monday, including Giants receiver Kadarius Toney. That’s double the league’s previous single-day high. By Tuesday, eight Browns and four WFTers were on the COVID list.
The NFL spike is likely partially a reflection of most teams doing their once-weekly tests for vaccinated players on Mondays. But the state of the NBA (and the United States) makes it clear that COVID is going to be more disruptive in pro sports than it has been for months.
The Lakers canceled practice Tuesday after Talen Horton-Tucker tested positive for the virus. At least five Nets are in the protocols, but they’re still scheduled to host the Raptors in Brooklyn Tuesday night, for now.
Even hockey, where the NHL says all but four players are vaccinated, has struggled with an uptick in infections. A half-dozen Calgary Flames tested positive, shutting that team down until at least Dec. 18. Tuesday night’s Hurricane-Wild game was postponed after six Hurricanes caught the virus; 15 players in total went on the NHL COVID list Tuesday. (Earlier this season, an outbreak on the Islanders that infected at least eight players shut the team down in the middle of an eight-game
losing streak. They finally picked up the first win at their new Belmont Park arena on Saturday.)
The NFL now requires booster shots for non-player staff. About 200 NBA players — roughly half the league — have received boosters, according to ESPN. The league has previously said players and staffers who aren’t boosted by Friday will face increased testing and restrictions.
The infections have been a mixed bag. Most players have reported minor symptoms, with the biggest drag being on their conditioning. But serious cases continue to occasionally crop up. Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was vaccinated and notoriously cautious about all things virus-related, missed three weeks after testing positive. “I really thought I wasn’t going to make it. It was that bad,” Embiid said when he returned at the end of last month. “I couldn’t breathe...The headaches were worse than a migraine. And the whole body was just done. So it was not a good time.”