During an interview with ESPN’s Sage Steele on Wednesday, President Joe Biden pushed the need for people to be socially distanced and wear masks ahead of many baseball parks opening their stadiums, specifically calling out the Texas Rangers for opening at full capacity.
ESPN reported, “The Rangers’ Globe Life Field, which can seat 40,300 people, is the only Major League Baseball stadium that will allow 100% crowd capacity on its Opening Day.”
Regarding the Texas Rangers’ choice, Biden said, “Well, that’s a decision they made. I think it’s a mistake,” Biden said. “They should listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, the scientists, and the experts. But I think it’s not responsible.”
Biden was asked about what advice he would give to players who are unsure about getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Biden answered, “I would say I’m President of the United States and I got vaccinated. I don’t have an unimportant job. Would I take the vaccine if I thought it was going to hurt me? We have done incredible research on the vaccines and they have shown that they work. We have to get to the point where enough people have taken the vaccine so we diminish the possibility for it to spread.”
According to ESPN, Biden added that more than 600 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna — have been bought by the government, and 75% of people who are at least 65 years of age have gotten at least one of them.
“We are moving across the board that way,” Biden said. “That’s going to diminish the prospects of its spread. In terms of it being responsible [for stadiums to open at full capacity] — you see what’s happening in Europe now when they lifted the mandates. I don’t know why we don’t just follow the science and beat this — just flat out beat it. We are going to have enough vaccinations, vaccinators. We’ve opened places. We’re doing everything we can to make it clear to people, ‘Get the vaccine as quickly as you can get it.’ By the end of [April], we’re going to be in a position where everyone can get the vaccine.”
Biden also used the interview to discuss his support for the MLB changing the location of the All-Star Game in July from Atlanta, Georgia, because of the Republican-backed voting legislation that was recently passed in Georgia.
The Daily Wire reported on Biden’s discussion of the Georgia debate on Thursday:
President Joe Biden endorsed moving Major League Baseball’s July All-Star game out of Georgia in retaliation for Georgia’s new election laws.
Endorsing moving the all-star game in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday, the president lauded players for “acting incredibly responsibly” in using their influence to push political agendas.
“I think today’s professional athletes are acting incredibly responsibly. I would strongly support them [moving the all-star game out of Atlanta],” Biden told ESPN’s Sage Steele. “People look to them. They’re leaders.”
“Look at what’s happened with the NBA, as well. Look what’s happened across the board. The very people who are victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports, and it’s just not right,” Biden continued. “This is Jim Crow on steroids what they’re doing in Georgia and 40 other states.”
The president then went on to repeat false claims that the new law prohibited food and drink at polling places and mandated the polls close at 5 p.m.
ESPN reported that many teams desire to reach the 100% capacity milestone during the summer months. “The NFL, meanwhile, is already making plans to host fans at full capacity when its season opens on Sept. 9, commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this week.”