Yankees: Aaron Boone’s father leaving Nationals over vaccine mandate

The monumental advancements in the scientific field have somehow divided Americans as the COVID-19 pandemic continues on without a clear end in sight. Thankfully, it’s a bit more tame in the sports world, with those who are refusing the vaccine simply stating they “won’t discuss” or that “it’s a personal choice.”

Whether you agree or not is a discussion for another time, but we’ve seen our first incident in the baseball world in opposition of the vaccine that’s making major headlines.

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone’s father, Bob Boone, who is the Washington Nationals vice president and has been with the team since 2005, is resigning from his post because of the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The elder Boone is 73 years old and considered an “at-risk” individual, but is refusing to get the shot.

But that’s not even the most glaring aspect of it all. His son, Aaron, has a well-known heart condition that makes him a prime at-risk individual when it comes to being infected with COVID-19. The Yankees manager was vaccinated back in March when it became more widely available.

Conventional wisdom would suggest the father and son spend time together, meaning that Bob not being vaccinated puts Aaron in more danger of contracting the virus. Vaccinated individuals can still contract the virus, though hospitalizations and deaths have drastically decreased among those who have the vaccine.

Aaron Boone’s father is leaving the Nationals organization because he’s refusing the vaccine.

So much of the positive vaccine discourse has tried to focus on protecting others, rather than making it all about a “personal” or “private” choice. But the selfless aspect of it all has been overshadowed by those crying “freedom of choice” or claiming the widespread availability of the vaccine is the government trying to push forth an “agenda.”

Some have argued that they’ve refused to get the shot because it hasn’t been FDA approved, but that’s no longer an “excuse” because the government gave the green light to Pfizer. Others say they “don’t like putting unnatural things in their body.” We’ve really heard it all at this point.

But the fact of the matter is that 1) this is a global pandemic that needs to end so we can return to a normal life and 2) almost every American is required to have certain vaccines in order to do something as rudimentary as going to school. Vaccine mandates are nothing new.

What’s jarring about Bob Boone’s refusal to get the vaccine is that he’s indirectly making a choice not to protect his son to the fullest, who just underwent heart surgery back in March. Infectious disease experts have told us time and time again that getting vaccinated in the only way out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that the pandemic is still raging is a direct result of a large percentage of the population refusing the vaccine. The spread of misinformation continues to divide society and kill at-risk (or, in rarer cases, even completely healthy) individuals.

But we guess Bob Boone is willing to lose his job over whatever his stance on the issue is. Can’t wait for the conversation at the Boones’ dinner table during Thanksgiving.

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