Topic: Media Research Center
The Media Research Center has long served as an anti-vaxxer cheerleader for tennis star Novak Djokovic, whose petulant refusal to get a COVID vaccine kept him out of some tournaments. As a new round of tennis tournaments got started this year, it continued to cheer on his selfishness. Sports blogger John Simmons write in a Feb. 22 post:
As it currently stands, Novak Djokovic would not be able to play in either the Indian Wells Master Tournament in California or the Miami Open in the coming weeks. It’s not for a lack of talent -- he’s ranked No. 1 in the world in men’s tennis and just won his record 10th Australian Open. At the moment, he’ll be prevented from playing in both these tournaments because he's unvaccinated.
As such, Djokovic is appealing a current Transportation Security Administration (TSA) requirement that says any foreign individual entering the country must have the jab or else they can’t get in. This requirement has been extended to April 10th.
"Everything is currently in the process," Djokovic said at his training ground in Belgrade, Serbia. "I have a big desire to be there. I am really thankful to the Indian Wells and Miami tournament [officials] and community for their support publicly, and they would like me to be able to play in their tournaments."
Simmons went on to rant that a vaccine requirement "shouldn’t be in place":
The rest of the world has gotten the memo that the COVID-19 virus isn’t as deadly as the progressive media and politicians wanted us to believe, and many countries have relaxed their rules on foreigners entering their countries. Heck, Australia, which was COVID craziness capital of the world, allowed an unvaccinated Djokovic to enter their country before the U.S. did!
It’s time for our government to drop the COVID fear-mongering and stop using it as an excuse to grab power in ridiculous ways. Let Djokovic into the U.S.
Nobody's stopping Djokovic from entering the U.S. -- he just has to get the same vaccine that millions around the world have received. Simple, really.
When Djokovic's appeal failed, Simmons went on another rant in a March 7 post, weirdly forwarding the whataboutism argument that if illegal immigrants don'thave to be vaccinated to get into the country, Djokovic doesn't either:
The BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells will begin tomorrow. But Novak Djokovic, who just set the record for most weeks ranked No. 1 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings, will not be there.
That is because the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) still requires foreigners to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the country. They do not enforce this requirement on the nearly 3 million illegal immigrants< that crossed our Southern border last year, but they're trying to make a political statement, and consistency doesn’t matter to this joke of an administration.
Djokovic sent an exemption request to President Biden (which Florida senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio co-signed), but he was predictably denied by Homeland Security, an extension of an administration that refuses to give up the ghost on COVID protocols. As such, he withdrew on the eve of the draw for matchups in the tournament.
Djokovic has long been a vocal believer in allowing individuals to choose whether or not to get vaccinated, and as such he has remained unvaccinated. It is a shame that after so many countries have realized that COVID is not the supremely dangerous virus we were told it was, the United States remains unwilling to change its policies and that Djokovic has to pay the price for our stupidity.
That's right -- Simmons thinks vaccinations are stupid.
When the U.S. dropped the vaccine requirement for foreign visitors as the pandemic emergency wound down, Simmons cheered on Djokovic's behalf in a May 2 post, claiming without evidence that the requirement was "useless":
The Biden administration has finally ended its travel ban for foreigners who are unvaccinated against COVID-19. Granted, the ban lasted about two years longer than it should have, but at this rate, we have to celebrate any wins we get.
This means that ATP world No. 1 Novak Djokovic will finally be able to play in tournaments held on American soil. He has already missed out on two prominent tournaments this season after the Biden administration extended its original end date for the travel ban, and has had an exemption request from this useless restriction denied.
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Djokovic is a player who thrives on overcoming conflict and getting revenge on those who have stood in the way of his goals. With that in mind, it's safe to assume that the Joker will be a force to be reckoned with once play at Arthur Ashe stadium begins this summer.
Or it could be that Simmons is in thrall to a man who's too selfish to do what's good for himself and society as a whole.
