In a PSA posted to the Red Sox’s Twitter account Thursday, legendary designated hitter and former World Series MVP David Ortiz delivered a strong message, advocating for the COVID vaccine so all of us can go back to “doing the things that we love.”
“COVID-19 has been devastating,” said Ortiz, whose number 34 was retired by the Red Sox in 2017. “We haven’t been allowed to get together to do the things that we love. Schools have been closed. Businesses have been shut down. We haven’t been able to spend time as a family like we used to.”
Ortiz urged those who are still skeptical to consult research material provided by “Trust the Facts,” a campaign in Massachusetts to raise awareness for the COVID vaccine. “I know we all have questions about the vaccine,” the former big-league slugger acknowledged. “I know a lot of us don’t feel comfortable about getting it. But guess what? The only way we’re going to make changes, make things happen and go back to doing the things that we love is getting vaccinated.”
Athletes have been relatively slow to embrace the vaccine, at least publicly (LeBron James was noncommittal when the subject was raised recently), though a handful of sports figures including hoops Hall-of-Famers Bill Russell and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have willingly accepted the vaccine while encouraging others to do the same. Sindarius Thornwell and Nicolo Melli of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans received their first doses of the vaccine earlier this month while San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has also promoted the vaccine.
“Get yourself together, get your family together,” advised Ortiz. “Get the vaccine and go back and enjoy life like we used to.” Boston’s Fenway Park, where Ortiz spent the final 14 seasons of his illustrious career, will continue to serve as a vaccination site until the Red Sox return from spring training later this month.
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