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Collegiate Athletes Share Their Opinions on the COVID-19 Vaccine


The fight song echoing through the arena, fans rushing the court after a big win, the little kids nervously asking for autographs after the game. These images fill the mind of Makayla Hemingway, a CSU Basketball player. As the vaccine is distributed across Colorado, having fans in attendance this Fall seems like more of a reality than a daydream.

“I think that getting the vaccine might speed up fan allowance,” said Hemingway. “Having that immunization on file may be just what we need to get fans back in the arena.”

Colorado is distributing vaccines at a rapid rate. So far they have distributed over 82% of their given vaccines, over 1 million people in Colorado are fully immunized. When will collegiate athletes finally have the opportunity to get vaccinated?

Alyssa Hughes, a volleyball player at Gonzaga already got vaccinated, and thinks all collegiate athletes should be heavily encouraged to do the same.

“We are traveling in and out of states and I don’t want to spread the virus,” Hughes said.

She also thinks athletes should have some vaccination priority. “We are sacrificing our health to compete against athletes from other states that might not have the same protocols as us.”

This is not an unpopular opinion. Mairen Chard, a swimmer from the University of Idaho felt the same way.

“It should be mandatory to participate in anything sport related,” said Chard. “Especially at the higher divisions when we travel across the country almost every week.”

CSU physical trainer Brianna McDuffie agrees and encourages all athletes to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

“They (athletes) are traveling so often and are exposed to people from across the country every week,” said McDuffie. “Getting coronavirus could set them back physically for several weeks, it’s crucial that they get vaccinated when they can.”

However, there are still several athletes who will not be getting the vaccine. When walking around the Colorado State campus, five out of the 37 random athletes questioned said they would choose not to receive the vaccine when it becomes available. One of which was volleyball player, Ciera Pritchard.

“I am choosing not to get vaccinated because I do not want to put anything in my body that has not been tested for long term side effects,” said Pritchard.

She says she has felt a lot of societal pressure to get vaccinated. “ I’ve noticed that it is quite unpopular to even express that you are skeptical of the vaccine’s safety and that worries me.”

However the majority of athletes are impatiently waiting to get the vaccine and gain some peace of mind while traveling and competing. It’s inevitable that the decision to get vaccinated will stir up some controversy between teams and conferences especially if the dose is required.

“I think all athletes should be vaccinated as soon as possible,” said Hemmingway. “It would sure create some peace of mind.”


Masked photo of the CSU Volleyball team during the COVID Season

Photo by: Christian Schuepbach

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