Most of the big leagues have at least a handful of players who will not be suiting up for the season, mostly for reasons related to the coronavirus. Here are some of the bigger names who are, or will be, missing the action.
Baseball
Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
Zimmerman has played with Washington every season since the franchise arrived from Montreal in 2005. He is one of about a dozen major leaguers who are opting out of the brief 2020 season. Zimmerman cited his three young children, one a newborn, and his mother, Cheryl, who has multiple sclerosis.
David Price, Dodgers
A Cy Young winner, the veteran Price was acquired from the Red Sox in the off-season, but won’t suit up for the World Series favorite Dodgers in 2020. Price reacted to the news of multiple positive tests on the Marlins this week, saying: “Part of the reason I’m at home right now is because players’ health wasn’t being put first. I can see that hasn’t changed.”
Felix Hernandez, Braves
Another Cy Young winner, Hernandez was planning to try to reinvigorate his career with Atlanta. He likewise cited his and his family’s health.
Buster Posey, Giants
The veteran catcher just adopted newborn twin daughters who have weakened immune systems and have spent time in intensive care. “We feel this is the best decision for our babies,” he said.
N.B.A.
Wilson Chandler, Nets
Chandler has the highest profile of about 10 N.B.A. players who will not be suiting up for the end of the regular season and the playoffs because of health concerns. Chandler also missed the first part of the season after getting a 25-game suspension for taking “small doses” of a banned growth hormone.
Trevor Ariza, Trail Blazers
Ariza will also not be playing, but reports were that his reasoning was different. Ariza has been involved in a custody battle and did not want to miss a one-month visitation period with his son.
DeAndre Jordan, Nets
The Nets also lost their leading rebounder. Jordan said late last month that he had tested positive for the virus and would not be going to Disney World. And the Nets will also be without point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who tested positive.
Avery Bradley, Lakers
Bradley was concerned about the health of his son, who has respiratory problems.
Bradley Beal of the Wizards will also miss the season with a shoulder injury.
Victor Oladipo was another star who announced he would not play because of concerns over his injured knee. But he changed his mind and had 10 points in 28 minutes in the team’s final exhibition game.
W.N.B.A.
Elena Delle Donne, Mystics
The league is missing perhaps its biggest star. Because of her struggles with Lyme disease, Delle Donne, the 2019 most valuable player, asked for a medical waiver to skip the season. But a panel of doctors rejected that request, meaning she would not be paid for the season unless she played.
Her team wound up saying it would pay her, whatever her decision. It appears unlikely that she will play this season.
Tina Charles, Mystics
Double damage for the Mystics, as Charles, picked up in a trade in the off-season, got a medical exemption because of her extrinsic asthma. The champions are also without Natasha Cloud (focusing on social justice activism) and LaToya Sanders (health concerns).
The Games Resume
Sports and the Virus
Updated July 30, 2020
Here’s what’s happening as the world of sports slowly comes back to life:
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- Some of the N.B.A.’s biggest stars, including LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard, are in action on opening night of the resumed season.
- With no summer tournaments to play in, top high school basketball stars are committing to colleges earlier. Villanova is one of the beneficiaries.
- Baseball’s botched return could be a warning for the N.F.L., which is returning without sequestering players. It may be too late for the league to change its plans.
Liz Cambage of the Las Vegas Aces and Chiney Ogwumike of the Los Angeles Sparks also will skip the season.
N.H.L.
About a half-dozen N.H.L. players are skipping the playoffs, but the league avoided losing any of its biggest stars. A few of those sitting out are regulars, but the others are primarily minor leaguers who got a few games with the big-league club.
M.L.S.
Carlos Vela, L.A.F.C.
The league lost only one big-name player, but he is a very big one. Vela, the reigning most valuable player after a 34-goal season, decided to stay home with his wife, Saioa, who is pregnant, rather than join the league’s bubble in Florida.
The league also lost two full teams, Nashville and Dallas, from its opening tournament because of a spate of positive tests.
N.W.S.L.
Megan Rapinoe, OL Reign
The league completed a brief season on Sunday without one of world soccer’s biggest stars. Rapinoe opted out of the season in early June, becoming the first marquee athlete in any sport to do so. She did not explicitly state her reasons.
Two other players who helped the United States win the World Cup last year, Tobin Heath of the Portland Thorns and Christen Press of the Utah Royals, also chose not to play, both citing concern about the virus.
And like M.L.S., the league lost an entire team, the Orlando Pride, after several positive tests.
N.F.L.
It is still unclear the extent to which the league will be impacted, because players have until early next month to decide on their status. But about 20 have reportedly bowed out. With 32 teams and large rosters, it seems clear more players will sit the season out than in any other league.
Dont’a Hightower, Patriots
The Patriots have been hit harder than any other team. Hightower, a linebacker, said, “This wasn’t an easy decision, or one I made lightly, but I do feel that it’s the best decision for my family at this time.”
Safety Patrick Chung, running back Brandon Bolden and tackle Marcus Cannon are among the other Patriots not suiting up.
Marquise Goodwin, Eagles
Goodwin will sit out, according to multiple news media accounts, including NFL Network. He is reportedly concerned about his family’s health. He and his wife, Morgan, have a 5-month-old daughter after years of struggle to have a baby.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Chiefs
The champions will be without their guard, who is a medical school graduate. He has been working in a care facility in Montreal in recent months.
“Being at the front line during this off-season has given me a different perspective on this pandemic and the stress it puts on individuals and our health care system,” he said in a statement. “I cannot allow myself to potentially transmit the virus in our communities simply to play the sport that I love. If I am to take risks, I will do it caring for patients.”
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July 31, 2020 at 02:12AM
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Sports Are Back. Here Are Some Athletes Who Are Not. - The New York Times
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