PurplePTSD: The Silver Lining To The Vikings Vaccination Ruckus

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

August 3, 2021

You’re probably keeping score at home of this COVID vaccination hoopla and the Minnesota Vikings.

If this was a real game, the Vikings would be staring down a treacherous path as the NFL’s least-vaccinated team on August 3rd.

The bulk of Minnesota’s quarterbacks opted not to receive the vaccine, so the surprise was minimal on Saturday when all of them were held out of practice – which will last until Thursday or Friday. Rookie quarterback Kellen Mond contracted the coronavirus, kicking off the hullabaloo. Kirk Cousins and Nate Stanley, evidently unvaccinated, were close contacts and must keep a safe distance for five days.

The attention, potential strife, and noise surrounding this budding issue are less than ideal. But there is one silver lining.

Timing.

All of this vaccine donnybrook is transpiring in July and August – some 40 days before the regular season begins. If this was Week 5 or Week 15 – the panic would be supersized.

But it’s not the regular season yet. The Vikings front office, coaches, and players have time to reach common ground. No games are lost in August because Kirk Cousins isn’t vaccinated. That threat becomes very real in September and beyond, yet the present day can be used to find remedial measures.

What does that mean? Well, from Mark Wilf, Rick Spielman, to Mike Zimmer – the leadership can continue the encouragement of the vaccination, promoting the efficacy of medicine. That’s dicey territory in the contemporary climate of pandemic politics, but it’s worth a shot.

It worked for the Washington Football Team. Not long ago, the Football Team was tagged with “least vaccinated team” honors – like the Vikings were on Tuesday – but now the culture has flipped a bit. Head coach Ron Rivera underwent chemotherapy during a pandemic while leading a pro football team. Apparently, that devotion has spread to Washington’s locker room because their “numbers” have improved:

The Vikings – with education and persistence – can do this, too. And Mike Zimmer is showing no signs of letting up on his insistence for the vaccine. A diplomat he is not, Zimmer will continue to be blunt about his desires for the team.

Once the regular season commences, these vaccination matters will only be storylines if players miss time. If Minnesota continues to scrape the bottom of the barrel of vaccination percentage – and the team is winning with no notable COVID absences – nobody will care.

It’s when vital players miss time in important games that the rubber hits the road.

Thankfully, the alarmist feel of the vaccination impact is felt, for now, in the summer. Autumn will raise the stakes. There is time to improve the locker room dialogue stance on vaccines.

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.