- July 27, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
Before getting to a discussion on a true moment in the business of sports, I wanted to note the NFL’s stance towards vaccinations, as it has flexed its muscle over players in a strategic way. The league has announced that games not played due to outbreaks resulting from unvaccinated players will be forfeited, meaning no pay for players on the “outbreak team” as well as the competing team. It is yet another salvo from the NFL to subtly (or not so subtly) pressure players to drop any hesitancy on vaccinations.
The NFL is being strategic here and, of course (there are lawyers). They are not mandating anyone to get vaccinated. They are, rather, making life difficult, very difficult, for players who make the choice, for whatever reason, to not be vaccinated. And, as they have done so often in collective bargaining, they are using a “divide and conquer” strategy to exert their power over the labor force, even to the point of teams requiring…
