Coronavirus Leads Some Athletes to Opt Out, if They Can Afford It
The decision on whether to participate in restarting seasons is exposing the haves and have-nots of the sports world.
Ryan Zimmerman with his daughter Mackenzie. Zimmerman, who has earned about $136 million in his career, said he would be “staying safe at home” when baseball returns.Credit...Nick Wass/Associated Press
By Andrew Keh
July 3, 2020
The resurging coronavirus has in many places exposed fault lines of class and privilege that allow those with means to escape high-risk environments, to put off work and to elide financial concerns in the interest of staying safe.
The American sports industry may be no different, as leagues move to restart play. A blend of dynamics — money, status and job security — could determine which athletes will have the ability to decide to sit out and which will see little choice but to play.
Many players, of course, are raring to get back on the field. But a wave of decisions this week to opt out of play hinted at an undercurrent of anxiety that could grow in the coming weeks as more leagues near their returns.
In the N.B.A., Avery Bradley of the Los Angeles Lakers and Thabo Sefolosha of the Houston Rockets this week joined a small but growing group of players who will sit out when the league restarts on July 30. In Major League Baseball, a handful of players, including Ryan Zimmerman of the Washington Nationals and Ian Desmond of the Colorado Rockies, came to similar conclusions.